


Four Five Six

by Jonn_Wolfe



Series: Rose River Alternate Universe [7]
Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-28
Updated: 2014-12-28
Packaged: 2018-03-04 00:20:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 43,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2902478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jonn_Wolfe/pseuds/Jonn_Wolfe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Children are being used as puppets. In over their head, Torchwood calls the TARDIS. Rated T for Language, innuendo, and Jack being Jack.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Four Five Six

## *Chapter 1*: The Children of Earth

* * *

The day started out as any other. People waking up on a Monday morning, eating their breaky, and going to work, school, Uni, or other things.

At least in theory.

Gwen was the first of the team that noticed it, even though she didn't understand what it was at the time. She was in the middle of getting some money from the ATM, when two kids stopped walking... much to the chagrin of their parents. It lasted a full two minutes, and then they were off again like nothing had happened. One was even confused at the threats his mother gave him.

At the same time, Rhys was trying to get to work and was stopped by the kids who paused at the crosswalk. Honking his horn didn't help, and the shouting only got confused looks from everyone else. And like with Gwen, they continued their walking after two minutes.

While all this was going on, Mickey and Martha were doing their level best to get to the Hub on time. They were stopped by yet another gaggle of children who decided it was funny to pause in the middle of the street. Leaving Mickey behind the wheel, Martha got out and took some video with her upgraded mobile... the same mobile that she had when she left the Doctor, so long ago. Even though it was extremely outdated by now, the Doctor's jiggery-pokery made it outshine most of them that were still on the drawing boards.

Jack and Ianto, on the other hand, were busy trying to retrieve a 'hitchhiker' from a cadaver. All was good until they were interrupted by the doctor that was in attendance. Thinking quickly, they rattled off a lot of nearly unintelligible technobabble at the man, while cleaning up after themselves and making a hasty retreat.

That same doctor followed them to their updated SUV. Updated, as in the removal of the stamped 'Torchwood' on the sides. This was a _very good suggestion_ by both Rose and Martha, whom thought it was extremely silly for a secret organization to advertise their presence to the general public. Didn't help this time though, as that doctor called them out with stories of cadavers going missing. While it intrigued Jack, Ianto pointed out the paperwork involved. Needless to say, Jack brushed the man off as they drove away.

* * *

Jack and Ianto came into the hub to find a flurry of activity going on at Mickey's station. The other three of the team were huddled around his computer and talking rather loudly.

"Mickey," Jack shouted over the din, "I need you to look up one Doctor Rupesh Patanjali, and do a standard background check."

Gwen didn't stand up from her bent over position. "Do it yourself, Jack. We've got bigger problems going on."

While Ianto snorted on his way to drop off his overcoat, Jack stopped abruptly on the stair to his office. Turning his look of shock towards Gwen, he blinked and frowned. Chucking his WWII coat over a chair in his office, he came back down to see what the hell had his second in such a mood. "What's happened?"

Gwen got out of the way and moved to her station without saying anything. Martha looked up from her fiancé's monitor and had her full professional mode on, full blast. "Children all over the place just paused this morning. No warning, no explanation. There are reports of several near traffic accidents from kids simply stopping in the middle of the street."

Jack frowned and looked over Mickey's shoulder. "Any rift activity going on?"

Mickey shook his head. "Already checked, and it's been rather quiet. Here's the thing, though, boss. It's not just us." He pulled up a map of the UK up on his third monitor, and started pointing. "London, Aberdeen, Portsmouth, Leeds, Manchester... Hell, the whole bloody country is flooding 999 with calls about it."

Gwen got their attention when she spoke up. "Spain, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Denmark, Sweden..." she paused as another list came up. "China, Japan, Austraila... Everywhere there was daylight, the kids just stopped!"

"Probably in America too, but most of them are asleep," Martha muttered.

"Yeah, okay. This trumps a weird doctor with a corpse fetish," Jack said. This got a look of disgust from Martha. "Don't ask."

"Oh my god," Gwen said quietly. "It's happening again!" She turned to look at Mickey. "Pull up the outside CCTV of the bay." When he did, Jack and Martha were out the door first. Gwen and Ianto were right behind them. Mickey was too distracted with new reports coming in to leave his computer.

* * *

Martha reached the lady with the little girl first. "I'm a doctor, its okay." Jack was right after her, with Gwen and Ianto on his heels. Ianto had the foresight to bring a camcorder.

"She's just playing silly buggers," the lady complained. "C'mon. Stop it, Molly."

Everyone stepped back when little Molly opened her mouth and let out an ear piercing wail. Hearing similar sounds from other directions, the team looked to see other kids doing the same thing.

The sound died out a few minutes later, and the girl as well as the other children around the Centre started chanting the word 'we'. It changed to 'we are', then finally to 'we are coming.'

Gwen pointed to the girl and looked at Jack. "Oh My God!"

Martha tried talking to the girl while she was chanting that phrase, but nothing seemed to register to her. This entire thing reminded her of that ATMOS plant. "Who's coming?" she asked for the third time.

The girl blinked, and then grabbed her mother's hand. "C'mon, then!" She acted like nothing happened. Looking around, they realized the other children didn't know about it either. One asked if they were going to be on telly when he noticed Ianto filming.

Completely alarmed, Martha stood up and pulled her mobile out of her jacket. Flipping it, she pressed her thumb on the number one on her speed dial.

"Who're you calling?" Jack asked.

Martha gaped at him. "Who the hell do you think, Jack?" Her attention was diverted when the other end of the line picked up. "Rose? Get your husband. We need you!" she shouted.

* * *

 

## *Chapter 2*: Catharsis and Replies

* * *

It was the day after the Mars incident in the TARDIS. After getting the message from Adelaide and Ed to Susie, Rose used her leg as an excuse to get the Doctor out of there and into the bedroom. It was only after she got him in there that he was able to express what he was feeling. They spent the night working through the tears, hugs, and shouts together.

John on the other hand, spent that night breaking things in a room that his brother used while he was in his previous two bodies. The Japanese had a similar system, but this was less expensive. Instead of paying for a room to just tear apart, the TARDIS brought that old room forward for him to expend his frustrated anger over the whole situation.

Not wanting to be left alone, Jenny joined her uncle in the crockery destruction. Mostly, she just let him at it while offering simple companionship. After three solid hours of shattering and swearing, he was spent and collapsed in a heap along one of the walls. Jenny rushed to him when he started sobbing. He hated himself over what had happened.

After a large amount of time cathartically venting, the TARDIS surprised them all. There was a rather lengthy message waiting for them in the console room. Rose limped in with the Doctor in tow, to find John and Jenny cooing and laughing at something on the main screen. "What's all this?" she asked them.

John looked up with a smile and waved them over. "Baby pictures!" he squeaked. "Your sister is completely adorable!"

Rose's eyes popped wide, and she almost fell getting to the main controls. Seeing the chubby and bald picture of Laura on the screen, her hearts melted. "Ohmigod, she _is_! Can we print that?" she asked in a rather high pitched voice.

The Doctor cracked his first smile when he saw Laura. "Sure we can. And not some silly dot matrix or laser monstrosity either." He looked at the time rotor. "Dear, would you mind developing whatever pictures they sent?"

Their home let out some happy chirps and jingles with her _Of course, Beloved._ Not ten seconds later, a stack of photos appeared on the jump seat. John stopped Rose from turning around to get them. "Wait on that," he said. "They sent a video too."

Rose was beside herself, and bouncing on her good leg. "Play it!"

John grinned while the Doctor moved the photos out of the way. After getting the girls to sit, he and John stood on either side of the monitor.

* * *

Jackie appeared on the screen, and Rose smiled when she saw that her mother had gotten herself done up for the recording. She was wearing a rather nice dress. It had a leafy pattern in the colours of autumn. Her hair was wavy curled, and had a light smattering of tiny flowers on side.

Despite the smile she was showing someone off camera, they could tell she was nervous. Steeling herself, she faced forward.

_'Doctor, the first thing I want to say to you is...'_ she looked down.

The Doctor smiled at first, then got pensive when she glanced back up with the look. He actually paled from the glare she was giving.

_'You are a right bastard GIT for blurting that out like that! You best be glad you're not here, or you'd have my handprint all over your face!'_

The other three laughed when the Doctor actually backed up from the screen. The way he was acting, it was if he thought she was going to come right through it.

_'Rose... Oh my Rose, you have no idea how thrilled we were when we got your message.'_ She paused to wipe at her eyes with a tissue. _'I miss you so much, sweetheart. You have no idea.'_

The tone of the ship went upward from there, and the TARDIS patted herself on the proverbial back. The messages weren't supposed to be coming through for another week, but hey... she's a time ship. While it wasn't explicitly forbidden nor a cheap trick, the results of this bit of cheating far outweighed whatever bickering her pilot would give her for it when he realized.

He surprised her when he said _'Thank you.'_ That bit of gratitude came during the section of the video where Laura was saying 'hewwo'. Wearing a fluffy little yellow dress, she had a small pink piano in front of her, playing a light tune with one finger. No one recognized the music, which was surprising at first. When she finished, Jackie clapped and picked her up.

The camera came off the stand to keep them in picture. Pete's voice could be heard very plainly, so he must've been the one holding it. The picture came closer to Laura in Jackie's arms. Pete was heard saying, _'That was beautiful, love. What you call that one?'_

Everyone gave an 'awww' when Laura replied in her little girl voice. _'Rothe'th.'_ Her little mispronunciations were adorable to everyone. Even though Jenny thought that actual childhood was silly, she couldn't help her giggles.

The picture froze on Laura's smiling face, and the TARDIS hummed an apology. _Beloveds, I can't hold this back anymore. There's a phone call coming, I'm sorry. Had to let you finish with the song first._ Rose's phone started chirping.

Rose was all smiles. "Oh, I don't care if the queen calls now. That was gorgeous, thank you." Pulling the phone from her pocket, she glanced at the little screen. "Hmm. Martha's calling. Wonder if she's set a date yet?"

Thumbing the answer button on the phone, she held it up to her ear. "Hello Martha! How you doin?" Her bright smile faltered. _'Oh bugger'_ she thought out loud. Holding the phone out for the Doctor, she said, "Something's wrong."

The Doctor took the phone and held it to his ear. "Martha? What's the matter?" His face hardened as he listened. _'Jenny, you and John set the coordinates for Cardiff Bay. Someone's messing with the kids.'_

Rose's brow bunched together. _'Whose kids?'_

_'All of them,'_ he replied, making his wife's eyes get large. While Jenny and John went round the console, he spoke up. "We'll be there double quick. Leave the line open so we don't miss." He set the phone in what looked to be a charger stand next to the keyboard and started typing.

* * *

 

## *Chapter 3*: Info, Nutters, and Bridges

* * *

Jack stood there with a comical stunned expression on his face. He was stuck between being happy that the Doctor and Rose were coming, and wanting to kick himself for not thinking of it first. A tug on his sleeve brought him out of it. Nodding at Gwen, he followed after his team towards the main entrance of the hub.

His internal thoughts were interrupted, when that doctor he ran into at the hospital came running towards him. He cut him off before he had a chance to open his mouth to speak. "Look, keep stalking me and I'm going to sue your ass."

"I just wanted to..." his beeper went off. Sighing, he grabbed it from his belt and turned it off.

Jack put a hand on his shoulder. "You're going to be needed in A and E to help deal with all the panic. I'm sorry, but kids trump corpses."

Rupesh slumped. "Fuck, you're right. Can I talk to you later?" he asked with a hopeful look.

Jack sighed. "Alright. Get going. We'll see what happens. That's the best I can do."

Rupesh nodded with a wan smile. Jack didn't wait for him to turn around before he headed off. Pulling out his mobile, he called the number. "Patanjali. I was just about in when..." He stopped talking as a loud voice cut him off. "Are you serious?" He gave the retreating team a look of horror, then turned to run.

* * *

The team was in the connecting hallway and nearly to the lift. Martha had been relaying what they knew to the Doctor, when she paused. She smiled at Jack and gave a thumbs up sign. "Right. Could you do us a favor and land inside the hub?" She gave Jack a questioning look when she asked that, and got an approving nod out of him. "Good. Hold off till we get there. If you're using my phone as a target, you'll hit the lift."

There was a ding, and they filed out. The door rotated open with its typical whirling noise and lights, and Martha gave Jack another questioning look. He pointed, and she went over to the other side of the couch. She looked at the space available, and hip checked the couch over a few inches. "Right. I'm standing in front of where she'll fit." A pause. "Okay."

She backed up a step when the wind started to pick up. The grinding of the TARDIS engines caused Mickey to turn around with a smile. "Brilliant."

Martha smiled when the doors opened, and John stuck his head out. "Can I get another snog? That was brilliant," he grinned cheekily.

"Oi!" Mickey complained. "I still owe you for that."

Whacking John's arm, Martha laughed. "Leave it." Her smile froze, then became a beam of surprise when the next person came out. "Jenny!" She crushed her in a hug, and couldn't help the tears that started up. "Oh my god. We didn't know. I couldn't... I'm sorry!"

Jenny giggled and held her tight. "Missed you too, Martha. S'okay. Wasn't anyone's fault. Mum and Dad found me."

Martha reared her head back to look her in the face. "Mum?" Jenny smiled at her and thumbed over her shoulder. Martha looked to see Rose being helped out of the TARDIS. "Stepmum, you mean?"

Jenny's smile got bigger when she shook her head. "Uh uh. Rose is my mother. Got her genetics and everything."

Martha was confused, but left it with, "Wibbly wobbly?"

The Doctor chuckled. "Something like that. SO! What's all this with the kids, eh?"

* * *

Rose and the Doctor were standing behind Mickey's station, while John and Jenny were at Gwen's, looking over her shoulders. Martha took the lead with the explanations. Mostly, bafflement was going around the room, but that was interrupted when Mickey sat back in his chair. "Oh my god."

"What is it?" Jack asked.

"Kids all over the world..." he pointed at the screen. "And one man."

It got crowded behind him when everyone came to look. "Who's that?" Rose asked.

Mickey moved the video to another monitor. He was chanting 'We are coming' just like the kids were. "Got this from the police. They're backlogged with everyone calling 999 and everythin'. This bloke's name is Timothy White. Looks to be a long time resident."

Jack nudged his way forward. "Where's that from?"

"Digby York Hospital, the East Grinstead mental ward."

"Mental ward?" the Doctor parroted. "What form of mental illness would get him caught up with the kids?"

"Maybe it's a hormonal thing?" John offered. "He could have a hormone disorder, instead of an actual crackers one."

The Doctor pointed at him. "Now _that's_ not a bad idea. Brilliant, actually." John grinned at him.

"We should talk to him," Gwen said. "See if there's something in his records that would help."

Jack nodded. "Good idea. Martha, you and Gwen up for a road trip?"

When they rose to gather their stuff, John spoke up. "Mind if I tag along?"

Mickey looked up. "No snoggin'!" He glared at John. "I _mean_ it!"

John chortled and patted his shoulder. "Oh don't worry Mickey boy. That was a one time thing to get you to admit yourself. Well, that and get you back for that mouth of yours."

Jenny laughed. "You can talk!"

"Oi!"

Shaking his head, the Doctor got John's attention. "Right then. If the girls don't mind, I think it'd be a good idea if you went. If anything, you can get a better grip on what's happening."

Gwen smiled. "Don't mind at all." She looked at Martha and winked. "You?"

Martha batted Gwen's arm, chuckling. "Leave it. And yeah, be a good thing to have one of you two around."

"That settles it," Jack said. "Off you three go. Let us know when you get there. I need to call the home office." He didn't look happy about that last statement. When he went to his office, Jenny smiled and walked after him.

_'Behave yourself,'_ Rose thought to her.

_'Oh hush up,'_ Jenny replied with a laugh. _'It's not like your my mother or anything... Oh wait, you are. All right then.'_

Rose barked a laugh, which got the Doctor's attention. "She's getting cheeky, that one," she said to him. He turned and frowned when he saw her walking up the steps to Jack's office. _'Relax, will you? He did tell you he knows better.'_

Still scowling, he thought back, _'Yeah. Just not sure she does. He's still awful pretty.'_

Mickey noticed the Doctor's discomfort and smiled. "I wouldn't worry on that. He and Ianto got a thing going on. Think Yan would knock a few deaths in him if he tried anything."

"So would I," the Doctor muttered.

* * *

Gwen's phone chirped while she was driving them along the motorway. She put the phone on speaker and answered. "Hey you."

_'I'm at the house. Think you'll love it. It's got a garden and everything.'_ Rhys said. _'So what's this thing with the kids?'_

"Top secret, that."

_'Haven't got a bloody clue, do you?'_

All three of them snorted softly. "Not a one," Martha answered.

_'Hi Martha! You two set a date yet?'_

She frowned. "Actually, with all the fuss mum's putting on, we're thinking about just eloping to be done with it."

_'That bad, is she?'_

"The worst."

_'Mum was the same way. From me to you though, I wouldn't.'_

"Why's that, then?"

_'Well, you think you could handle years of bickering and guilt trips?'_

"He's got a point there," John said, smirking. "Francine's got a mean streak a mile wide."

Martha let out an aggravated sigh. "You're probably right, but she wants everything her way. And it's not about her, is it?"

_'Who was that?'_

"John, the Doctor's brother," Gwen said.

_'Oh bloody hell. It is that bad, isn't it?'_

"Something like that," Gwen replied. Reading the road sign, she let out a playful grumble of fear. "Pray for me Rhys! Goin' over the bridge to England now."

Martha looked over with a frown. "Oh it's not that bad."

"Yes it is" Gwen and Rhys replied at the same time, making Martha's frown larger.

_'All right, you. You be careful over there. Oh, somethin' occurred to me while I was drivin' out. That thing with the kids? Happened right when they were headin' to school. Saw it happen again at recess while drivin' past the local.'_

"Yeah? And?" Gwen asked, confused.

_'Well, I just thought that if its happ'nin' all over at the same time, that it'd be something here that's doin' it. I mean, if it's runnin' round our school schedules...'_

"You're husband's brilliant!" John shouted. He immediately relayed that to his brother, who mentally slapped himself for missing it.

_'I 'ave my moments, yeah.'_

"You're gettin' a big snog when I see you again," Gwen said, smiling.

"Hell, I might give him one for that," John said, laughing. Martha turned around and looked at him with wide eyes, smirking.

"Gotta go. Runnin' outta towers," Gwen said.

_'See you!'_

When Gwen tapped the phone off, John was staring back at Martha. "What?"

"Oh, nothin'. You just sounded like Jack for a minute there. Startled me is all," Martha said. "Thought you were headed for a 'river of love', there," she finger quoted.

John groaned at the pun. "Oh, I can't believe you said that."

Gwen laughed at them. "So, you just as flexible with things as Jack is?" Well, she was curious. That, and the one time she walked in on Jack and Ianto was firmly burned into her memory. Give a girl some credit. They're all hot.

John stuck his head forward, in between them. "Shh. Don't tell anyone. Got memories and experiences of two people in my head, me. And, I have to tell you, Donna's one raunchy woman."

They all broke up laughing at that while they crossed the bridge. "Good _Lord_ , don't let Jack find out about that," Martha said through her giggling.

* * *

 

## *Chapter 4*: Exuberance

* * *

Jack was confounded. The girl on the other end of the line didn't have the first clue as to who Torchwood was. "Torchwood. T-O-R-C-H-wood. Are you telling me that you work in the home office and don't know who we are?"

He looked at Jenny, who was sitting on the couch opposite his desk, and gave his most 'god these people are stupid' look. She just gave him a small smile and shrugged. Focusing on what the girl on the line was saying, he rolled his eyes. "Picked a hell of a day, there. Sorry. I know it's not your fault. Just tell Frobisher that Jack Harkness called. We can help, alright?"

Shaking his head, he hung up. "Jesus. You'd think they'd train new personnel better." Noticing the look Jenny was giving him, he smiled. "What is it?"

"Oh nothing," she replied. "It's just that this is the second time I've met you."

Jack's eyebrows went up. "Oh really? What was the first time like? Or can you tell me?"

Jenny shrugged. "You were River's ride home after we got her out of the Library."

Jack tilted his head in abject confusion. "I heard a little about that from Martha, but she didn't really know what was going on."

Jenny tilted her head, mirroring him, and simply looked.

Jack was starting to feel self conscious for some reason. Her eyes were definitely doing that thing that her father's did whenever he had a puzzle. "Okay, what's with the stare?"

Her arm went up, and she did a circle motion with her index finger towards his face. "What's with all that?"

Jack frowned. "All what?"

Jenny frowned with a huff. She did the circle bit again and thought, _'All That.'_

Jack's eyes bulged, and he sat back in his seat in self defence mode. "Uhhhh... Be more specific."

"I _know_ you heard that," she said, frowning.

He leaned forward with his hands on the desk and started whispering. "No one's supposed to know about that. Not even your dad."

She pursed her lips. "Well, it's not like I'm going to go blabbing about it. So what is it?"

Jack sighed and leaned back in his chair to look up at the ceiling. "Bound to happen sooner or later," he muttered. Looking back at her, he crossed his arms. "Yes, you're right. I've got more going on up here than your average person."

Jenny giggled at the abstract confirmation. "Okay. Thanks for trusting me."

Frowning, Jack looked out the window to see where everyone else was, then back to her. "Mind telling me how you figured it out? Wait, forget that. How did you break through with that thought? I've got some pretty decent shields."

Jenny's smile was almost infectious. "Pull the other one. You're like an open book, there."

Jack blinked in confusion. He swallowed and thought. _'You can hear me think?'_

Jenny's smile turned into an outright beam at him. She nodded her head rapidly. "You're cute too, by the way," she winked at him.

For the first time in the longest he could remember... Jack blushed beet red. _'Your father's going to kill me over and over if you don't quit that. Not to mention Ianto.'_

_'I'll keep that in mind,'_ she said.

Jack's reddish complexion went deeper into crimson when a rather graphic set of images appeared in his head of their own volition. Wait... that's not right. "Did..." he swallowed. "Did _you_ do that?"

She winked at him again.

_'I'm a dead man.'_ "Okay, you really need to stop that. I'm taken, more or less, and the age difference is too spectacular to think about."

Jenny rolled her eyes. "Oh please. Mum's going on thirty three, and dad's fourteen hundred and fifty six. It can't be that bad."

Slamming every door in his head shut, he tried locking her out. "Sweetheart, I'm well over two thousand. How old are you?"

"Wow," Jenny blinked. "Look good for an old man. Definitely my mother's child. I'm going to be nine in a few months."

Jack's head went back in shock. "All right, this conversation's over, full stop." Standing up, he made a hasty retreat.

Jenny chuckled and stood up, nabbing Jack's arm as he went past. Planting a chaste kiss on his cheek, she said. "You're so easy to wind up, it's almost cruel."

A barking laugh leapt out of Jack's mouth. Turning to look at her, he snickered, then started laughing like crazy. "Oh you are too dangerous!" Her giggling smile was endearing, and he caught himself thinking something he shouldn't have yet again.

"Best be careful with that," she said with another wink, and then whispered in his ear, "or I might take you up on it."

Jack stepped quickly out of his office and over to the others. Rose saw his look of panic and smirked. "Did someone actually out flirt you?" The Doctor's head snapped over from Mickey's computer when he heard that.

Jack's hands went up in full defence mode when he saw the scathing look the Doctor gave him. He shook his head rapidly. "It wasn't me!"

Rose cuffed the back of Jenny's head when she got close enough. "Stop teasing the poor man," she said, giggling despite herself.

"But it's so much fun!" Jenny said with a smile.

The Doctor stood up. "Stop it. Stop it now. That's making _both_ my hearts seize up." Mickey snorted at that.

Jenny sighed and looked at her feet, pulling at her pony tail. "Sorry."

Feeling like now would be a good time to distract everyone, Ianto spoke up. "You know what would be a good thing? We need to find a child to interview. See if they know anything about what's happening to them."

"Not a bad idea," the Doctor said. "Not sure if it'll help though."

"Why not?" Ianto asked.

The Doctor rubbed his chin. "Well, the thing is. These kids all look like they're under some sort of hypnosis when whatever it is speaks through them, so I'm unsure if there will be anything for them to remember at all."

"Couldn't hurt though, could it?" Jack asked.

The Doctor's head tilted back and forth, thinking about it. "No, I suppose not. But unless anyone has any family members young enough, I doubt anyone will just let you interview them... well, without some sort of cover story."

"Doctor?" Mickey said.

"Hmm?"

Mickey turned to look up at him. "Is the TARDIS translating everything?"

He looked at him in confusion. "Why?"

Mickey pointed at his screen. "Because this girl in China is chanting in English." He turned up the volume so it would be heard clearly.

"No, that's English." Rose said.

The Doctor nodded. "Definitely En..." He was interrupted when his brother slid into his head with what Rhys said about the schools. Slapping his forehead, he began to shout. "Of course! Everything's revolving around the English school system!" He looked at Jack. "Rhys is brilliant. John just told me he said all the kids are talking and pausing when they're the most visible: First during morning traffic, then while everyone was at recess."

Rose looked appalled. "Why the hell didn't I think of that?"

"Well to be fair, we didn't actually know the times," the Doctor offered.

"So," Mickey interrupted, "kids all around the world are speaking English when the ones in this country are out and about? What's all that? That's like a bloomin' sign saying, 'Oi, take a look at Britain'!"

"Knew there was a reason I hired you," Jack said. "Okay, we need to talk to a kid."

"Hospitals have childcare wards, don't they?" Jenny asked. Her parents smiled and nodded.

Jack nodded with them. "Good idea. Ianto, road trip."

"If I play nice, can I come with?" Jenny asked with her head tilted. "Haven't seen much of Earth before."

The Doctor was about to protest when Rose spoke up before him. "You better promise," she said, pointing at her.

Jenny smiled a little. "I promise."

The Doctor sighed. "Oh alright. You just be careful."

Jenny bounced on her toes once. "Thank you!" The Doctor couldn't hold his frown when she kissed his cheek.

"Don't worry sir, I'll explain things," Ianto said while eyeing the exuberant girl.

* * *

 

## *Chapter 5*: Bad Memories

* * *

Martha and Gwen were flanking a blonde nurse, who was telling them about their patient. John was looking over Martha's shoulder and trying to be unobtrusive. They were looking at the patient through a black and white CCTV monitor, and it appeared that he was in a very stark room all by himself.

"Timothy White," the nurse started explaining, "Fifty five years old, he's been with us for about three months, but he's got a history of being in and out of care all his life."

"What's his medical history?" John asked, leaning to get the nurse's attention. He was frowning at the state of the room the man was in.

"Not much to tell, really," she replied. "Oh, he's been a model patient, mind, but he looks at things like a little boy. It's like he never grew up."

Martha and John exchanged a glance at that, but Gwen thought of something. "Timothy White? My mum was a shopper."

Martha grinned. "Not exactly John Smith though." John gave her a frowning look at that.

The nurse smiled. "Well, if he's got a different name, he's never said. Spent forty years living in Leeds. That's where he first came on record. Found homeless living on the streets at the age of eleven."

"Eleven?" Gwen and Martha said at once, disturbed at the idea.

"No one ever reported him missing, either," the nurse mused with a hint of sadness in her voice. "Apparently though, he had a Scottish accent back then. Gone now, but... Hmmm. He was a long way lost."

"Thanks for that," John said with a smile. "Would you mind too terribly if we were to talk to him somewhere else?"

The lady gave him a distrusting look. "What for?"

He tilted his head towards the monitor. "Look at him. His furtive glances and hunched over appearance... He's scared. Won't do to talk to him in there, or he'll think he's on some police show being interrogated or something."

Martha got the idea he was hinting at. "Is there somewhere on the grounds that he feels safe?"

The nurse thought for a minute. "Just his room."

* * *

Several minutes later, the four of them were in Tim's room. John stopped the orderly at the door. "We'll shout if we need you, all right? No worry."

The big man glanced at Tim with a worried expression, then leaned down to talk softly. "Treat him nice. He's our best resident, so don't get him wound up."

John smiled at him. "Not to worry. We'll be very gentle, I promise." Closing the door, he turned to look around. Hanging from the ceiling was a forty's style sea plane, made out of Papier-mâché. Various artworks peppered the walls. All were done mostly with crayon, oil pastels, or grease pencils. Most of them had all sorts of different aeroplanes on them.

One of the papers that were taped to the walls got his attention though. Mostly darkened with charcoal, several small figures were 'backlit' by what appeared to be a bright light coming from above. All in all, it reminded John of too many sorts of alien encounters.

Tim was nervous, and kept sniffing the air. Gwen was startled when he grabbed her hand and started smelling it. John motioned for her to wait. "Know of them," Tim muttered, then dropped her hand to do the same with Martha. "So do you."

John had his hand up ready for the nostril test, but Tim stood up straight and inhaled with wide eyes. He backed up until he ran into his bed and accidentally fell into a sitting position on top of it. "Don't take me," he whispered and started to visibly shake.

Martha and Gwen were both staring back and forth between them. John held his hands up in a placating motion and got down on his knees, in order to look less threatening to him. "I'm not going to take you anywhere Tim, I promise. I'm a friend. My name's John, this is Martha, and that's Gwen. We just want to talk to you about what happened today. Is that all right?"

"Don't smell the same as them, but you're..." he trailed off and pointed at the ceiling.

John smiled and nodded. "I won't hurt you, I promise." His voice had gone into a droning as he spoke to him: Both to engender a hint of trust, as well as to lull Tim into a state of comfort. "I make a point to not hurt people if I can absolutely avoid it." He paused with a small smile. "Do you believe me?"

Tim looked him over for a bit, then bobbed his head up and down, relaxing a bit. "Yeah. Not like them. You ask. They don't." He looked to the single desk in the room, and opened a drawer. "You like a biscuit?"

All three of them smiled and shook their heads. He pointed at the tin, then at himself with a question on his face. "It's all right. Go ahead," Gwen said. Opening the lid, he started nibbling on a jammie dodger.

"Not supposed to have these," he said. "Don't tell anyone?"

John couldn't keep from smiling anymore than the girls could. "Promise." Sitting back, he changed so that he was cross legged on the floor. "Would it be all right to ask about this morning?"

"They didn't ask," he stated flatly.

Nodding, John asked, "Do you know who they were?"

Tim swallowed his biscuit and wiped his mouth before answering. His voice was the barest of a whisper. "Bad things. Tried taking me before. Now they're back." His face twisted up and he wiped at his eyes. He flinched over his shoulder with an "Isn't it?"

He looked John in the eye. "Please don't let them get me."

It was at this point that John opened a direct relay with his brother. "I promise we won't let them," he said.

"Do you remember what they made you say?" Martha asked quietly.

Tim nodded. "We are coming." He frowned. "Rubbish, that. Of course they're coming. Been smelling them for months."

"That's a hypersensitive honker you got there," John said with a smile.

Tim pursed his lips and nodded. "Been that way since the last time."

"When was that?" Gwen asked.

Tim's eyes were darting around, looking at them all one at a time. "Was a kid. They said we was going to a new home."

"Who?" Martha asked.

"The staff," Tim replied. "Said we was all going to new homes."

John's head tilted to the side. "Were you in an orphanage?"

Tim nodded. "They drove us miles and miles in a big white bus. They were there... in the sky."

Martha glanced at John with a pensive expression, who matched it with his own. Gwen asked, "What did they look like?"

Tim was looking at the ceiling, mirroring his memory. His head shook with confusion. "Light." His head quirked to the side, "Isn't it... isn't it."

John tapped Gwen's knee and pointed to the one dark picture on the wall. "Did you see them, or did they just shine lights at you?" he asked.

Tim didn't appear to hear him. "The light... took them."

"Who?" Gwen prompted when he trailed off.

He looked at her with sad eyes. "My friends."

"But not you?" she asked.

He looked away, shameful. "I ran."

"Don't feel bad about that, Tim," John said. "I do it all the time."

Tim smiled at him and chuckled. "You're nice."

"Try to be," John smiled back.

"They were nice too," Tim said, looking away. "The man that drove us was too nice."

Martha got him to look at her. "Did you know him? Do you know who he was?"

He shook his head. "Army man. All smiles. Told me to hurry up so I wouldn't get left behind."

"How long was it, after you ran, before you were found again?" John asked.

"Dunno," he shook his head. "Two, maybe three months? Spent most the time on the trains."

John leaned back and smiled. "Thank you." He looked at Martha and tilted his head towards the door.

Gwen noticed, but had another question for him. "Tim? We need to find the people who let that happen. But, in order for us to do so," she paused and got him to look at her. "To do so, we need to know the name you were born with. We won't tell anyone you're here, I promise."

He looked agitated with that question, and looked at Martha with a question in his eyes. She said 'promise', and then he did the same with John. 'I promise,' he said.

Frowning a little, he nodded and whispered. "Clem. Clement MacDonald."

Gwen leaned closer to him. "Nice to meet you Clem," she whispered with a smile.

Clem chuckled lightly. "Please to meet all of you," he smiled. Looking up to Gwen, he said, "Congratulations, by the way."

She gave him a confused look. "For what?"

He sniffed the air around her. "Bout three weeks gone by the smell of it."

"What?" she asked again.

He smiled like the little kid that he was in his mind. "The baby," he said, glancing towards her middle.

Gwen's eyes popped wide, and she sat back in the chair. "But I'm not..." she whispered.

His brow bunched together, John pulled his sonic screwdriver out and pointed it at her. Martha saw that his was quite a bit different from the Doctor's, and looked to be made of brass. Whirring it for a second, he pulled it back and clicked it open to read the indicator. "He's right," he said with his brows up. "You got a wee one on the way. Brilliant!"

Gwen's mouth hung open in shock. She was absolutely no where near ready for children. She just sat there, blinking and gaping like a fish.

"Sorry," Clem said. "Did I say something wrong? Always doin' that."

Martha patted his shoulder. "You're fine, dear. Thank you for talking with us." She stood up and had to guide Gwen up as well.

John stood and leaned over, with his hand out to Clem. Instead of shaking it though, Clem took it and finally smelled it up close. "I'll remember that," he said. "Nice ones are rare."

John smiled at him. "Thanks. We gotta go now. Have to find out who's doin' all this. You be alright?"

Clem nodded. "Is it lunch time yet?"

* * *

Outside the hospital, Martha tapped Gwen's arm. "Keys," she stated flatly. When she didn't get a reply, she nudged her harder.

Gwen was startled out of her internal shock. "Hmm?"

"You're not getting behind the wheel like that," Martha said. "Gimme your keys and get into the passenger seat. I'm driving."

Gwen fished them out of her jacket absently, then did as she asked. Slumping into the car, she buckled herself in and leaned her head against the window.

"Blimey," John said. "Bit of a shock, that." Martha just nodded at him. After they were in the car, John said, "Well, my brother and I agree. Whatever happened the first time, happened in 1965. Since Clem's Scottish, that narrows the search down. That, plus the army's involvement... or possibly Unit... Mickey should have something for us by the time we get back."

"That has to be a serious advantage," Martha mused.

John looked at the back of her head. "What?"

"Being able to think to each other," she explained.

He nodded. "Has its advantages, yeah."

"Oh my God, I'm pregnant!" Gwen suddenly shouted.

John and Martha smiled wide at her getting over the initial shock.

* * *

 

## *Chapter 6*: Spies and Stuff

* * *

Jenny was in the back seat of the S.U.V. and watching the scenery go by. She was only half paying attention to Ianto going on about him and Jack's relationship. Noticing that she hadn't said a word, Ianto turned around to look at her. "Are you even listening to me?"

An annoyed little noise came out of her throat, and she turned to look at him. "Yes, yes, yes. You two are together; it would never work; blah, blah, blah."

Jack snorted, and Jenny's smile was back in full force.

"We _are_ a couple," Ianto emphasized.

Jenny snapped her head to look at the back of Jack's with wide eyes. Even though she was directly behind him, she didn't have to see his face. "I wouldn't use that word," she cautioned.

Ianto frowned. "Why not? It is what it is."

"It upsets him," she explained.

Jack's grip on the steering wheel tightened. "Jenny," he said with a hint of warning in his voice.

"What?" she said with a look of confusion. "The only way it'll work is if you two are completely honest with each other. If that word hurts you, then tell him and tell him _why_."

Still frowning, Ianto glanced at Jack and saw his frown of consternation. "Jack? That really bothers you?"

"It's nothing," Jack said with pursed lips.

Jenny grumbled and leaned forward to poke the back of his shoulder with a finger. "Liar. Tell him or I will."

Ianto got annoyed. "And just how would you know?" he asked, looking at her again.

Jenny glanced at him and tapped the side of her head. "Don't have to talk to that one. He's as transparent as glass."

"Enough!" Jack barked. "Talk about this later. We're here."

Ianto looked worried and glanced at Jenny. She smiled. Inclining her head to Jack, she mouthed, 'He's not mad. He's embarrassed I called him out.' Ianto raised his eyebrows and made a mental note to talk to her in private, after this was done.

* * *

They pulled into the short term parking area and got out. Jack leaned down and got nearly nose to nose with Jenny before Ianto got to the other side of the S.U.V. "Stop that," he hissed at her.

She had a confused look on her face. "But why? You love him, right?"

"Just stop or you're staying in the car," he grumbled.

She frowned at that. "You've got issues."

"Isn't that the bloody truth," Ianto said when he came around the S.U.V.

As they headed for the hospital, Jack was annoyed further when he saw doctor Patanjali running towards them. Calling Rupesh about seeing the kids bothered him. Something was off, but he couldn't tell what. "We can zap their memories so they won't remember a thing, I promise. No side effects."

Patanjali half froze when he saw Jenny. Giving her a once over, the light brown jacket, blue blouse, jeans, and red trainers didn't look all that threatening. The grin on her face made him conclude that she was harmless. Coming to himself, he spoke up. "You don't understand. There's been another death."

Jack sighed. He didn't have time for this, but followed anyway. Jenny and Ianto were right behind them. Ianto gave her a smile when she mumbled 'love the running'.

Once they were inside, doctor Patanjali lead them towards the morgue. "Mr. Chow, E. G... Chinese again. He came in with a nosebleed that wouldn't stop. Next thing you know, it's been diagnosed as a brain hemorrhage. He died at 11.25."

They walked through a plastic partition into an examination room for autopsy. Rupesh paused at the coroner. "Sorry, he's with me. Patanjali, A and E? We need to check Mr. Chow, E.G."

Jack pulled the green covering from Mr. Chow's head and shoulders. "Well, he hasn't gone missing." Jenny stood next to him at the head of the table. Ianto flanked Jack's other side for a better look.

Patanjali smiled. "I can see that."

He turned to the doctor. "We need to run a toxicology scan not on the NHS. We've got much better equipment," Jack said. Turning back and leaning down, he briefly opened Mr. Chow's left eye with his thumb. "Pupil's blown. That corresponds with a brain hemorrhage, but it could be induced artificially." He leaned down further. "No... sign of trauma to the skin, apart from some bruising, but that's..."

A click was all that Jenny heard, but she recognized it easily as a firearm. Shoving Jack into Ianto, she spun with her leg out and caught the gun as it went off, missing Ianto and hitting the wall. She followed through, and shifted to that foot as the other came around to hit Patanjali's cheek. The coroner went for a gun at his back, but Jenny flipped over Patanjali's prone form and clocked the man's Adam's apple with the blade of her right hand. She then introduced the man's head to her right knee. He followed Patanjali into unconsciousness and slumped to the floor.

"What the hell?" Jack exclaimed.

Jenny disarmed the men's guns quickly. "Ambush. Almost perfectly executed too. Would've been, were it not for a very good set of ears on me." She looked up at them. "This place is compromised, we need to withdraw and..."

There was a pop and a flash of blue from the hallway, and the sounds of several things hitting the floor followed soon after. Jack and Ianto had their guns out. Before they had a chance to look, the partition opened. A woman walked through with a satisfied smile on her face.

Jenny had her arm out behind her, motioning for Jack and Ianto to wait. "Aunt River? What's going on?"

"Hello sweetie," River said as she gave Jenny a hug. "You told me about this moment, so I had little choice but to come now."

Jack spotted a wrist strap on River's arm. "Is that mine?"

"On loan," River nodded. "Don't worry. I'll give it back once I go home." She turned to Jenny. "The woman out there is the one in charge of this mess. You have my blessings to rummage around her head to figure out who's pulling her strings. Go now."

When Jenny was in the hall, River turned to Jack. Her face fell to a state of sorrow. "I have to apologize. This will be a bit of a shock, but own up to it. This whole scenario involves the 456."

Horrific terror went over Jack's face, and his hands fell down to dangle at his sides. River looked to Ianto. "Get the keys and drive them back to the hub once Jenny's done. I have to go now." She flipped the strap open and hit some keys. Jenny came back in with a hard look on her face. "Bye sweetie. Be careful."

"Oh, I'm all over this, Auntie. Don't you worry," Jenny stated flatly. She gave River a kiss on the cheek, and hugged her tight. She whispered something in her ear, before stepping back.

River looked at her in shock. "How did you?" she started to ask, but Jenny shook her head. She ended up chuckling and shook her head along with her. "Right. I have a date with The Library. Not looking forward to it, but it has to be done."

"You were brilliant," Jenny grinned. "See you after."

River seemed to relax at that, then wagged her finger at her. "No spoilers now," she said with a wink. "Love you." She held her arm up and went for the manipulator.

"What?" Ianto started to ask, but was interrupted when River spark crackled out.

Jenny put something in her ear and tapped it. Speaking in a different female voice, she said. "Abort, abort, abort. Code 775 baker, abort." She listened for the confirmations, then yanked the comm out of her ear. Dropping it on the floor, she stomped on it angrily.

"Who were they?" Jack asked.

She looked at him. "Frobisher's your contact at the home office, right?" He nodded. "He ordered your execution."

"Oh... shit." Ianto said.

Jenny pulled at their sleeves. "We need to leave... _now_."

They came out of the autopsy to find an entire squad of black suited soldiers in various prone positions all over the floor. They had to step lightly to get around them. Once they were outside, they didn't stop running until they got to the S.U.V. Jenny spotted a couple of sniper positions, but they were in the process of packing up.

"Who did you piss off?" she asked them once they were in the car and on the road.

"No idea," Jack said. "Frobisher, sounds like."

Ianto pulled out his phone, but Jack stopped him. "Don't. If the home office set this up, then they have all our numbers and frequencies."

"Already talked to mum and dad about this," Jenny said. "They're upset, obviously, but dad said something that I didn't understand. He cut me off before I could ask."

"What?" Jack prompted.

Jenny leaned forward in between them. "Who's Alistair?"

Jack glanced at her and smiled wide. "Brigadier General Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart, semi-retired. He's an old friend of your dad's and one of the heads of Unit. That's a multinational army set up to combat extraterrestrial threats."

Jenny's eyebrows went up. "Ohhh. Okay. He's calling in reinforcements then?"

"Exactly," Jack said with a chuckle.

Jenny sat back and smiled. This was about to get real interesting.

* * *

 

## *Chapter 7*: Catching Up

* * *

The three that were left in the hub spent the time doing research and catching up. The Doctor temporarily adopted Gwen's computer, and was busy confirming that the Americas had similar incidents. Since it was night during the first two times, it was difficult. However, a few reports from Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Canada, and the United States told him everything he needed to know. Mickey on the other hand, was compiling everything they had into a layered, multimedia report.

Watching the pair of them, Rose noticed that each were showing signs of mental fatigue. While Mickey's was obvious with the fingers to the bridge of his nose, the Doctor's was only noticeable through their pair bond link.

They had been awake for nearly three days, and he was starting to blur letters together. So she decided to do something useful, and headed over to a rather large and old fashioned coffee machine. Searching high and low, she couldn't find a teapot anywhere and got annoyed.

Standing up from the computer, the Doctor stretched his back out and grumbled something about getting old. Looking over at Mickey, a thought occurred to him. "So... All the hullabaloo had me distracted. How are you and Martha getting along?"

Mickey looked over at him with a rather goofy grin on his face. "Fantastic. Can see why you had her along when you did. She's as brilliant as she is beautiful."

"Well," the Doctor tilted his head to the side, thinking and a bit embarrassed. He fretted at the back of his neck. "Looks wasn't on my mind at the time... But she is quite on the mark, that one," he grinned.

"You infuriated her," Mickey said with a dry look.

Not liking where this was going, he hesitantly asked, "How so?" Mickey's knowing look caused him to come up short. "Right," he said, rubbing his neck harder. "In my defence, I didn't encourage that at all. Even discouraged it, rather vehemently I might add."

"So that kiss when you two met didn't mean anything?"

The Doctor blinked and looked at him with wide eyes. "Of course it didn't! Told her that when I had to do it! That was just a genetic transfer to confuse the Judoon bio scanners!"

Mickey shook his head and leaned back in his chair. "Yeah, well. She didn't seem to think so at the time. Took her six months to realize you weren't getting over Rose."

The Doctor tilted his head in confusion. "That long? Wait... that short? She still..." He shook his head. "I don't get it."

"After finding you in that room with all that math, she realized you were still 'mourning' Rose," he finger quoted. Mickey lowered his voice and added. "Spent the next six months trying to get you to forget her."

Rose had picked up on her husband's mood and investigated. Standing next to the coffee maker from hell, she was at floor level with where the other two were and rested her arms on the deck plating - while peeking under the railing. Listening to the conversation was amusing. She brushed her hair over her ear and leaned on her hand, smirking.

While she knew half of this conversation, the other half was fascinating and rather telling. She didn't have the foggiest as to why Martha was so cold to her at first. Inklings and suspicions sure, but actual facts? Not that it mattered anyway. Whatever it was seemed to go away after a while. Now though? Oh yeah, this was interesting. She watched them from the side and half a level down, simply listening and grinning her face off. She got a perverse sense of pleasure seeing her husband stammering and backpedaling.

"Wait a minute..." the Doctor said, confused. "When did she find the void room? Uhh, I mean math room?"

Mickey had a wide eyed expression on his face. "You don't remember that?"

"I wouldn't have asked, otherwise," the Doctor said.

He decided that the look of confusion on the Doctor's face was completely honest. "Wow, you must've been out of it." Mickey scratched at the side of his head. "She said she spent a week just looking for you in the TARDIS, and that was after a couple of days off from that bit before the first world war."

The Doctor sat down on the couch and looked slightly upward, remembering. "Yeah... didn't like that bit of my life. Made myself human to hide for a while, but when the bad guys found us... Well, things went to hell rather quickly. Snapped a bit there, and I'm not proud of what I did. But when it was over I let Martha rest for a while, since she spent three months playing nursemaid and guardian for my human persona and all." He rubbed his fingers through his hair. "But I still don't..."

"Doctor, she said she found you red eyed, smelly, angry, and going round the bend with some crazy math. Had chalkboards all over the place, with most of the chalk in your hair and clothes." They had locked eyes at this point, and the Doctor's wide eyed expression of shock almost unnerved Mickey. "She said you bit her head off, screaming when she tried pullin you outta there."

"What'd I say to her?" the Doctor whispered, almost afraid of the answer.

Mickey bit his lip and swallowed. "You said, 'I have to get her back' at the top of your lungs, and told her to fuck off... and that's a direct quote. Didn't believe her at first. You hardly ever swear like that." He looked down. "She thought Rose was dead. She didn't know we were in another universe."

Rose blinked and absently wiped a tear. He had to have forgotten that, because this was the first time she'd heard it. It was a miracle that she was able to keep her emotions to herself, because she could see him doing that very plainly.

The Doctor took his glasses off and wiped both hands down across his face. "I don't remember any of that," he said quietly. "I owe her an apology."

"She knows," Mickey said. "When you two ran into Jack, she finally realized that Rose was alive and her chance with you was impossible."

The Doctor was resting his elbows on his knees, and he looked up at him. "Yeah. That's when I told Jack about what happened at Canary Warf. Wondered why she was going off about her being blond," he mused.

"Still," Mickey said, straightening up in his chair, "Water under the bridge and all that. We're happy together. Oh, did I mention that we're getting married?"

"Really?" The Doctor's sad expression dropped immediately, and a beaming smile shot out of him. "Brilliant! How'd you ask? Get down on one knee and all that?"

Mickey laughed. "She asked _me_!"

The Doctor's eyes got bigger, as did Rose's from her hiding place. "Noooo... Really?" He was completely delighted at what he was hearing.

"Yeah," Mickey nodded with a smile splitting his face. "Happened about a month after you guys left. Just got done chasing down a pack of rabid Weevils, and she asked me over a slice of pizza."

"Brilliant!"

"That's fantastic!" Rose shouted. She walked over and handed them each a mug of coffee. "Sorry. Couldn't find the tea," she said to her husband. Once her offerings of caffeine were given, she pulled Mickey out of his chair and gave him a big hug. "I'm so happy for you!"

Mickey smiled when she pulled back. "Thanks Rose. Means a lot." His smile turned embarrassed when she took either side of his head and planted a kiss on his forehead.

"Hold up," the Doctor said, standing up. "John and the others are talking with Timothy White now. Tune in, Rose. Mickey, you want to listen in?"

Mickey looked confused. "How'm I supposed to do that, then?"

The Doctor walked over. "Can set up a temporary bridge so you can hear what's going on."

He thought for a second, then nodded. "Yeah, alright."

The Doctor placed two fingertips on Mickey's temple briefly. "Hear them?"

He nodded. "Wow. This is like a bangin' set of comms."

Rose smiled at Mickey. "Can be."

* * *

While they listened to the interview, they slowly came to realize just how Timothy was impaired. His tone of voice, inflections, and etcetera were all like someone who was very young... not to mention the voice tics.

Rose frowned and wiped her eyes. "Oh, the poor dear never grew up." She sat next to the Doctor on the couch and rested her head on the side of the TARDIS. He took her hand and squeezed. "You think we can do something for him?"

"We can try," the Doctor said. "Eleven years and some months," he thought aloud. "At fifty five, that would be 1965. Mickey, could you do a search for ... hello. Didn't grow up but was smart, that one."

Mickey turned around and started typing. "Doing a search for Clement MacDonald, born in 1954, in Scotland, and any related army or unit activity in that country for 1965."

They all blinked and Rose put her hands to her mouth, smiling wide. Mickey turned around. "Gwen's pregnant? How the hell did he know that? Sounds like even _she_ didn't know."

Grinning, the Doctor shook his head. "No idea. Must be something to do with his last encounter with them. Could probably smell the pheromones of her pregnancy or something. Oh, but that's brilliant!"

"I'm surprised _we_ didn't smell it," Rose said.

The Doctor tilted his head. "Well, the confined space in his room must've enhanced that. Ohhh, I like Clem. Yeah, we're going to see about that."

Rose grinned and squeezed his hand. They got up to see what Mickey was finding out, when alarmed shock went through all three of them.

"What the hell is that?" Mickey shouted.

_'Jenny! What's happening?_ ' the Doctor thought at the same time Rose said, _'Swee'hear', what's wrong?'_

_'Ambush. Almost perfectly executed too. Would've been, were it not for a very good set of ears on me,'_ Jenny said. _'Sorted.'_

"Doctor," Mickey said, turning around. "Not that I don't mind, but would you turn that off? I about jumped outta my skin, there."

"Sorry," the Doctor muttered. He went over to touch his temple and broke the connection.

"S'alright," Mickey said with a shake of his head. "Listenin' in was cool and all, but that emotion thing was a bit much." He realized that they weren't listening when the Doctor stiffened as Rose came over to grab the Doctor's hand.

"River?" Rose asked.

The Doctor just shrugged at her, then looked up sharply. "Jenny don't... oh hell," the Doctor grumbled.

Mickey nudged Rose's arm. "What's happening?" She held up a finger for him to wait. He watched their faces become angry, and the Doctor turned to stomp off in the direction of Gwen's computer.

"What is it?" Mickey asked again, standing up and regretting that he asked the Doctor to break the connection.

Rose looked him in the eye. "Your contact in the home office ordered Jack's execution."

"Frobisher?" Mickey said with wide eyes. "Oh my god. The hell for?"

Rose shook her head. "No idea. The Doctor's calling in some backup.

Mickey turned his head to see the Doctor on the phone. "Who's he calling?"

"Old friend of his from the seventies," Rose said. "Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart: One of the men in charge of Unit."

"Bloody hell," Mickey said under his breath.

* * *

 

## *Chapter 8*: Arguments

* * *

Jack's group was the first one back to the hub, and Jenny was beset by her parents as soon as she was through the round door. It felt good to her that they cared, but she was frustrated that they didn't trust that she could handle things on her own.

What really annoyed her was when her father started berating her over her telepathic probe of the agent in charge. "Dad, River told me to and we wouldn't know who was behind this otherwise," she snapped at him.

"That's not the point!" he snapped back. "Permission is sacrosanct! You didn't give her the choice!"

"If you want to vent at someone, go beat _her_ up. Be grateful I left Michelle Andrea Davenport, AKA _Agent Johnson's_ , mind intact. I was sorely tempted to delete her memories until she thought she was _my_ age. As it is, she doesn't know who bested her and is still in the dark that we're here at all. That's a _good_ thing, since she's been briefed on everything you've ever done on this planet, up to and including you're involvement on putting it back it its proper orbit!"

They glared at each other for two solid minutes, but it was the Doctor who blinked. "Oh alright. Thank you for not wiping her mind. That's a crime on nearly every known world unless their life is in danger, or ordered as a punishment for another crime. I'll give River a piece of _my_ mind when I see her again," he groused.

Rose shook her head. "I'm on their side with this, Theta," she hissed. "And besides, that piece of your mind is _mine_ and I'm not giving that up without a fight."

The Doctor sighed, relented, and was grumpy as hell about it. "Fine. Not like you could get rid of it if you tried. The bond's permanent, you know."

She cuffed the back of the Doctor's head. "I _know_ that, idiot. I'm _trying_ to cheer you up," she said, exasperated. "Now Quit It with the gloom and doom. Our girl did _good_ , and she _didn't_ kill anyone. What's that say about her? Stop taking out your anger over that squad of goons on Jenny. It's ridiculous and _unfair_ , and you know it!" The rant started soft, but the more she got going the louder it got - ending in a shout that caused the others to turn and stare.

He reared his head back. "I'm not..." he started to protest, but the scathing look she gave him - not to mention the mental image of her withholding certain bedtime privileges - stifled that completely altogether. "I..." he stuttered and paused; analyzing what it was he was feeling. Realizing, he closed his eyes, took a half step backward, and rubbed his forehead. "I am."

The Doctor pulled Jenny into a hug. "Oh, I'm sorry. That whole thing with the soldiers... I just..." he paused, panting. "I don't want to lose you again. Once was hard enough," he whispered.

Jenny shared a look with her mother, then pulled back. The expression she gave him let him know just how stupid she thought he was at that moment. "Initially programmed with all the combat maneuvers from the fifty third century, as well as trained in Venusian Aikido. Who do you think would win that argument?"

"A stray bullet?" he offered lamely.

She pursed her lips and hit his shoulder. "Time Lord, me! If it happens it happens. I'll just look somewhat different is all." She was as exasperated as her mother now. "What's the _matter_ with you?"

The Doctor blinked and looked a bit confused. "I am so... _not..._ used to that."

A disbelieving smile went across Rose's face. "Ohhh myyy god. You _forgot_? Excuse me swee'hear'," she nudged Jenny out of the way and hugged the Doctor tight. "You brilliant idiot, _you are not alone_ anymore! We're not going _anywhere_! How many times do I have to _tell_ you that?"

The Doctor closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around his wife, placing his chin on her shoulder. The Face of Boe's last great secret echoed in his mind. Despite the connotations to the Master, it reverberated with his wife's exclamation and grew larger. Holding her tight, he thought to her, _'Until I believe you.'_

Feeling wetness on her neck as well as the downward spiral of his emotional state, Rose squeezed her eyes shut and tried to flood his mind with every ounce of love that she felt for him.

Jenny was appalled. Her father's anger shifted to disbelief, then moved through horror, and finally rested on an overwhelming sadness in ten seconds flat. "I really scared you," she whispered. "Dad..." she hugged them both from the side and did the same thing her mother was, pouring everything she felt for him into his mind. _'I'm sorry.'_

"What just happened?" Mickey whispered to Jack.

Jack pulled him back by his shoulder and turned him around, while the others ushered the Doctor into the TARDIS. Putting his arm around him, he walked Mickey in the direction of his office. "He's slowly coming to the realization that he's not the last of his kind anymore," he whispered. "You have no idea how bad he got when the Time War was over. Let's leave them to it for a while. I need you to look up some very old data files for me: codenamed Bright Star, circa 1965. It'll be in the Unit database, and probably buried."

While Mickey was confounded by what he just witnessed, he slipped back into his professional mode rather easily. "Does that have anything to do with Scotland and the kids that Clement MacDonald said were taken? That's Timothy White's real name, by the way."

Jack stopped abruptly, and briefly closed his eyes. Opening them again, he nodded and looked at him. "Yeah, it does. Let me know when you find the file, and I'll brief everyone."

Ianto's voice broke the relative quiet in full annoyance. "Who's been fucking with my coffee machine?"

* * *

Martha's group came in some twenty minutes later. Instead of going with them to the infirmary / morgue, John made a beeline for the TARDIS. He'd felt what happened with his brother, but couldn't get an answer out of him nor Rose. Jenny ended up having to relay the entire thing.

After Martha stopped by Mickey's station for a quick snog, which turned into an exchange of excited whispers, she got Jack's attention. Waving him and Ianto over, she followed Gwen down into her work center.

Gwen was at a scanner already at this point, but Martha took over for her when she fumbled the corded sensor. Pressing it against Gwen's belly, Martha turned on the wall monitor left handed. The team looked and saw a red dot.

Jack and Ianto had a look of surprise, not having heard the news already. "Is that?" Jack asked. Martha looked over her shoulder and nodded at the boys. "Wow. That's good... right?"

Gwen had a look of dumbfounded shock on her face. It didn't feel real until just this moment. She tried to turn her head to look at him, but couldn't keep her eyes off the screen. "That's... That's bloody brilliant that is..." she said slowly. A strangled giggle popped out, and Martha gave her a sideways hug.

Ianto was smiling wide. "Congratulations! Can that thing tell if it's a boy or girl yet?"

Martha shook her head. "Would have to get some of the fetus' DNA to make that determination, but it's far too small to do that yet."

Gwen, her eyes still wide as saucers, glanced at her and shook her head almost violently. "Don't wanna know if that's what it takes. I can bloody wait. Rhys too, for that matter."

"Does he know yet?" Jack asked, leaning on the railing with a goofy smile on his face.

Gwen was stuttering, so Martha answered for her. "We just found out not too long ago. No time to call him yet."

"Ohhh... and you told us before him," Jack said with a hint of mirth. "He's going to love that."

A half chuckle breathed out of Gwen at that thought. Then her face fell. "But... what we do. Can I even contemplate having a child? I mean, it's not like I can just call for maternity when aliens show up."

Jack leaned over to whisper in Ianto's ear. "Call Rhys." He then stepped quickly down the round stairs and put an arm around Gwen's shoulder. "We'll make do."

Ianto was almost to the phone at Mickey's desk, when the TARDIS door opened. Jenny came out looking completely lost and panicked. Glancing all about the place her eyes fell on the Welshman and Londoner. "Where's Martha?" Concerned, but wise enough to not badger the girl with questions, Ianto simply thumbed over his shoulder. Mickey looked around him at her in abstract confusion.

Jenny was at the open entrance to the infirmary rather quickly, and noticed that Jack, Gwen, and the target of her search were all quietly talking. "Martha!" she barked, startling them all. "Something's wrong with Dad! Uncle John said to bring your special kit!"

* * *

## *Chapter 9*: Well, That Was Unexpected

* * *

John came into the TARDIS, and ran around the console to the corridors at a full tilt. He felt the TARDIS trying to tell him that everything was fine, but he wasn't having it. Something made his brother snap, fall apart, or otherwise implode, and that was wrong.

He turned round one corridor to see Jenny next to a door, with crossed arms and a pensive look on her face. He was about to ask her what was happening, when he heard violent retching coming from the other side of the door. Not bothering to knock, he opened the door to find his brother's bedroom loo, with said owner bent over the 'porcelain god' and paying homage with the contents of his stomach. Rose was next to him with cold and damp flannels.

Looking up from the noise of the door, Rose looked at John with a frightened expression on her face. "He's not letting me take it," she briefly explained.

Kneeling down on the other side, he rubbed the Doctor's back. "Brother, what's wrong? We never get sick."

"I'm fine," the Doctor grumbled, "Now go away." He started coughing and a rather acrid smell of bananas hit John's nose as his brother went at it again.

"The hell you are," John said. "I can't remember the last time this happened. I think we still were in love with celery back then, possibly jelly babies."

The Doctor winced. "Guhhh... Please don't mention those," he complained. Thankfully, the TARDIS was cleaning the bile from the toilet almost as soon as he was finished with a round, but the smell still lingered for all of them.

Rose absently tossed the flannel she was using over her shoulder, and another took its place for her to put on the back of her husband's neck. "This started almost as soon as we got inside the TARDIS, but he's cut me off from all of it."

"I don't want you feeling this," the Doctor said in a pause from the coughing. "It's horrible." His body tensed again, and he felt like the Earth was trying to come up his gullet.

John looked up to see his niece fretting at the door. "Jenny, go get Martha and tell her to bring her special kit." Jenny didn't even nod. She just ran out as fast as her feet could carry her.

"How long has this been going on?" John asked, still rubbing his brother's back.

"Almost half an hour," Rose answered. "I've never seen him like this, ever. Not even when he and Jack got into drinking contests."

John reached over and brushed a stray hair out of Rose's eyes. "Calm down. Won't do to get wound up over this."

They held on to him while he went through a few more rounds. Rose was too busy to hear the footfalls, but John's ears perked just before Jenny led Martha into the loo.

Martha's eyes widened when she saw the state the Doctor was in, but slipped into her training. Setting the bag she carried on the floor, she pulled out a portable scanner the Doctor allowed her to have from the TARDIS. Kneeling behind him, she placed it on various points along his back.

Jenny watched from the door, and had taken to biting her nails. She felt the confusion from her father, the anxiety of her mother, and the concern from her uncle all at once. Feeling him before he arrived, she didn't flinch when Jack slid his arm around her back. She settled into the sideways hug rather easily, and rested the side of her head in the crook of his shoulder.

"How's he doing?" Jack asked her.

Jenny frowned at the obvious answer to that question. "Not well."

"Been like this long?" he asked.

Jenny sighed. "Brought him in after he fell apart, then he went straight for the loo."

Martha looked at Rose. "He fell apart?"

"Jenny saved Jack from an assassination attempt. We all felt it," John said.

Frowning at the negative readings she was getting, Martha moved the scanner down to the Doctor's lower back. "That why you nearly inhaled all of the air out of the car?" She asked rather absently, as most of her focus was on her patient.

"Yeah," John said quietly. "Sorry."

The Doctor tensed again, and nothing came out of him this time... not for the lack of trying.

"Do you feel like you're spinning?" Martha asked him. The Doctor shook his head, paused, then nodded. "Has this happened before?" He mumbled something unintelligible. "Say that again."

"Once or twice," he said a bit louder. "No... Three times. Thought it was just a bad bunch of bananas."

"This happened before and you didn't say anything?" Rose asked with a hint of scolding in her voice.

"We don't get sick," the Doctor complained. His body took that second to contradict him, and he started dry heaving again.

"Obviously," Jack snorted. Jenny thumped his stomach with her free hand.

Martha pursed her lips at the stubborn Time Lord. "How often?"

"Bout every third day," the Doctor said through a groan.

Rose was appalled. "This has been going on since before Mars?" She slapped his shoulder. "You Git!"

"Wasn't a problem," he said, trying to breathe through his mouth. "The TARDIS said I was fine, and it only lasted around forty minutes or so." He paused to take a lungful of air. "Can already feel it going away now."

Jack quirked an eyebrow, and Jenny's eyes bugged out. She looked up at him. "Are you serious?"

"One way to find out," Jack said quietly. Speaking up, he got the other's attention. "John, Rose, have you noticed the Doctor acting odd lately?"

"How so?" John asked.

Jack shrugged. "Moody, more randy, bit more mouthy than he used to be? Impulse control a bit off?"

John paused, thinking. Rose blushed and nodded. The Doctor lifted his head a bit, still staring down. "Sort of, yeah. What are you getting at Harkness?"

"Oh wow," Jenny said while Jack started chuckling.

Jack looked at Martha. "You mind waving that thing over at Rose? Specifically, here?" he said, pointing at his own stomach.

John caught on and looked stuck between being hopeful and horrified. Rose just looked horrified. She looked down when Martha held the scanner to her abdomen, then glanced at her with her eyes. Seeing Martha's smile, she blinked. "What? What is it?"

Jack looked at Jenny. "You wanna tell them, or shall I?"

Jenny smiled. "Holy shit, I'm going to have a sibling."

That brought the Doctor's head up and around. "What?"

John couldn't hold it in anymore and started chortling.

"Apparently," Martha said, "You've got Rose's morning sickness, even though it's past noon already."

Rose's eyes popped wide, and she grabbed the scanner. Angling it up so she could see, she stared at it. "Are you kidding me?"

"Makes sense, really," Jack said. "That man will take anything to make sure you're safe, Rosie.

The Doctor shook his head and wiped his mouth. "That doesn't make any sense. We would've known."

"He's right," John said, coming down from his high. "We all would've felt it."

"What are you talking about?" Martha asked.

"There's always a timeline shift when Gallifreyans come out of the looms," John explained. "Think of a violin string being plucked and feeling it with your entire body, and you'll have a hint as to what it's like."

The Doctor looked up and asked the ship something. She responded by placing an injection on top of the commode. He grabbed it and immediately stuck it into his neck. The fluid went in with a hiss.

"What was that?" Martha asked.

"Something to make my stomach settle," he explained. He sat back on his heels, then sighed. "Oh that's better."

Rose had her hands on her stomach now. "If we didn't feel it, is it alright?" she asked, alarmed.

"Hold on," the Doctor said. Taking a few cleansing breaths to focus himself, he turned and placed a hand on her stomach. He closed his eyes and looked inward. Rose didn't relax until she saw the smile that formed on his face. "We'll feel it in maybe an hour or next week. No telling, really. The wee one's brain hasn't formed yet."

"Oh!" John said, realizing. "This is the slow way! Looms are all 'bam, there it is'. With the gestation, the point of consciousness comes later! Brilliant!"

"Looms?" Martha asked, confused.

"We're genetically engineered, more or less," the Doctor explained. "Come out anywhere between five to fifteen Earth years in apparent age. Some hop out as adults if the parents wanted it that way."

Martha looked at Rose. "Well, I can see why they went to that. If all the men were feeling the pregnancy, they probably passed a law banning the whole thing."

Rose shared the knowing look with Martha for a couple of seconds, then they both started giggling. "Oi!" John complained. "It wasn't banned. It was just... impractical." That made them laugh harder and Jack joined right in with them.

The whole thing was ridiculous, and John shook his head. "She does have a point though," he said quietly.

"Can we stop laughing at the hapless Time Lord, please?" the Doctor complained.

* * *

 

## *Chapter 10*: Disclosure

* * *

Jack and Martha came out of the TARDIS trying very hard not to laugh at what they had just witnessed. However, the TARDIS jingled as they stepped through the door, and whatever she said sent him into a near hysterical fit. The echoes of his laughter filled the Hub and drew the others out of the medical bay. "What'd she say?" Martha asked.

It took him a bit to settle down. "Ohhh my God, I do _not_ envy that man. Never doing that again." he mumbled, wiping his eyes. Squeezing Martha's hand briefly, he took a seat at Gwen's station and snagged an untended water bottle at her desk. Ignoring her protests of ownership, he took a drink and tried to breathe. He looked up at Martha. "She said, 'If you think it's bad now, wait till labor'."

Martha's eye's bulged out. Blinking a few times, she looked back and forth between the TARDIS and Jack. Cackling, she managed to get out, "That settles it. I'm taking charge of both of them." Snickering for a bit, she suddenly came up short. "Hold on... since when can you understand the TARDIS?"

Jack's smile dropped. "Uhhh... since always?"

"News to me," she said.

Mickey spoke up. "What's all the ruckus?"

"Both of who?" Gwen asked at the same time.

Jack was relieved for the distraction. "You're not the only one with a happy surprise, Gwen. There's a time-bun in the oven."

Mickey looked at the TARDIS in shock, remembering what she told him a few months ago. "Rose is pregnant?"

"Is there something in the water?" Ianto asked, bemused. He chuckled when Jack set the bottle down rather quickly. A bleeping started up and he went over to his desk. "Jack, there's someone at the main entrance."

* * *

Ianto came into the 'travel office' front that disguised the main entrance to the Hub, and found an elderly gentleman in a deep brown business suit. His grey hair was short and matched his beard. He turned when Ianto came in. "Ah, yes. Mr. Jones, I presume?"

"Yes sir," Ianto replied. "May I see your identification please?" He had his right hand behind him, holding his pistol. The recent assassination attempt had him on full alert, and he didn't want to take any chances.

"Of course," the man said.

Taking it from him, he read the name and blanched. "Of course, sir, if you'll come this way please?"

"Only if you put the gun away first, young man," he said with a slight smile.

"Sorry sir," Ianto replied. Holstering his pistol, he tapped the button code to reopen the inner door. "Right this way."

The gentleman held up his hand. "One moment." Opening the outer door, he spoke to someone just outside. "Establish a perimeter, sergeant, and be mindful of any more of those blighters." Ianto heard someone reply with a 'Yes Sir,' and the gentleman turned back to him. "After you."

* * *

When the pair entered the hub, the gentleman gave the place a once over. He smiled when he noticed the TARDIS on his right. "Excellent. Might I ask which version he is this time?"

Ianto thought a moment. "I suppose a Math Professor would be the first impression I had."

"Hmmm," he nodded. "Quite. Not sure I've seen that one except in pictures. Pin stripes?"

Ianto grinned and nodded. "Rather wordy as well."

That earned a deep chuckle from him. "When has he not been?"

Jack walked over and saluted the man with a smile. "Well, the leather one was a bit laconic. Hello Brigadier."

Smiling, Alistair returned the salute. "Captain. So what in the name of Her Magesty's Government is going on? Children being hypnotized? Assassination attempts? One would think that the world has gone quite mad. Makes taking a vacation rather impossible."

Jack nodded. "I can sympathize completely. I'll be briefing everyone in about ten minutes." He turned to Ianto. "Would you mind escorting the Brigadier to the conference room?"

Ianto nodded. "This way sir."

* * *

Once the team was in the conference room, it was an additional fifteen minutes before the Time Lords made their appearance. The Doctor and John took one look at the Brigadier and beamed twin smiles at him. "Alistair!" they said in stereo. John paused while the Doctor went over to shake his hand. "Blimey, it's been a long time! How are you?"

"Confused at the moment," the Brigadier said while staring at John. "Last I remember, there was only one of you... or is this another time when two are better than one?"

Smiling wide, the Doctor turned to John. "Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, I'd like you to meet my brother, Johnathon Edward Storm."

John stepped forward to the shocked man and shook his hand. The Brigadier blinked and then scowled at the Doctor while John pumped his arm. "Why on Earth has it been this long before I've heard anything about a brother?" he half yelled.

Smirking, John looked at the Doctor. "Ten quid; Pay up." To the Brigadier, he smiled. "If you think that's something, this git got married, had a kid, and has another on the way. Although, we just found out about that last bit not twenty minutes ago," he grinned cheekily.

Rose stepped around the pair to get a better look and introduce herself. "Hello," she said with a smile. "I've heard so much about you, it's like I know you already," she said, taking his hand.

"Dame Tyler?" the Brigadier said, completely flabbergasted. "Doctor, if you keep at it with all these surprises, I'm afraid I'll simply have a coronary. Although I must say, I've wondered how long it would've been before you had your hearts stolen," he smiled.

"Oh, I gave them to her willingly," the Doctor said with a smile. Rose grinned at that and put her arm around him from the side. Turning, he waved Jenny over. "And this is our eldest, Jenny."

"Pleased to meet you sir," Jenny said when the Brigadier took her hand. She turned the handshake into a hug.

The Brigadier smiled when she pulled away. "Completely charmed." Shaking his head, he turned to Jack. "Now my dear captain, if you would do us the honor of telling us what this is all about before I fall over in a dead faint?" That got some chuckles.

Jack nodded. "If everyone would have a seat, please?" While they sat around the conference table, Mickey handed him a small remote. "Thanks, Mick."

* * *

The lights dimmed. Looking to the Brigadier, Jack started. "Sir, out of everyone here, you will know about this already."

The Brigadier raised his eyebrows. "Indeed?"

Jack took a large lungful of air, and blew out a breath. "This entire thing goes back to 1965, when a cure for an epidemic of a new strain of influenza threatened a large portion of the population."

"The 456?" The Brigadier looked alarmed. "Those cheeky blighters!" he shouted. "For the record, I was against that entire operation. The whole affair reminded me of nothing short of blackmail!"

The Doctor rested his elbows on the table and leaned forward. "Who or what are the 456?"

"We never knew," Jack said. "They only communicated with us on that frequency."

"What did they want?" John asked.

Jenny stared at Jack and blinked away the tears that started forming. What she was feeling from him was breaking her hearts. She fought the urge to snatch him up in a hug only by the merest fraction of control.

Jack couldn't form the words, but the Brigadier stepped into that question. "Son, let me. And try to relax. You were simply following orders, so don't blame yourself." Turning to the Doctor, he explained. "In exchange for an antiviral agent, the 456 wanted twelve children."

"What for?" Rose asked, completely disturbed.

"They never said," the Brigadier replied. "Twelve children for a cure to a new plague. I opposed Operation Bright Star vehemently, but I was only a Colonel at the time. The decision was made before anyone had a chance to think about the implications."

"And they just handed them over?" John shouted. "The gall!" He blinked, remembering something. Turning to Jack, he realized. "Oh, you poor bastard. That was _you_ Clem was talking about? You drove them?"

Everyone looked at Jack with surprise. Unable to look at any of them, he sat down at the head of the table with a defeated look on his face. "Wasn't one of my better moments," he said quietly.

"Jack!" Rose shouted. She was about to let into him, but Jenny grabbed her hand in a vice like grip. When she looked at her, Jenny shook her head. _'Don't mum. He's about to fall apart.'_

"There wasn't anything you could've done," the Brigadier said. "Those were your orders."

"I could've said no!" Jack shouted. "And now they're back? Lying sons of bitches!" Ianto put a hand on his shoulder, but Jack shrugged out of his grip. "Don't."

John sat back in his chair and looked at the Brigadier. "How much you wanna bet that they want more?"

"I wouldn't touch that one, Alistair," the Doctor said. "He's right. If we only knew who they were, we could get to the bottom of this and get the Shadow Proclamation involved."

The Brigadier turned to look at him. "I thought you didn't like them?"

"They have their uses," the Doctor muttered, "and intergalactic thugs are right up their alley. It's racketeering, plain and simple. But for right now, let's table this and get to something else. Did you find out what's going on with the interdepartmental warfare?"

The Brigadier took a sip of his coffee. "It's being sorted now. The Plass has four squads maintaining a perimeter. We already retrieved the personnel that were at the hospital."

"Good," Jenny blurted. "What about Frobisher?" she asked with a glare.

The Brigadier checked his watch and smiled. "They should be picking him up very shortly."

Jenny was going to smile, but blinked and looked confused instead. She cried out and palmed the sides of her head in obvious pain. The Doctor and John were out of their chairs before anyone else had time to react. Rose simply turned and held on to her shoulder. "Honey, what's wrong?"

Jenny was panting from in-between the three of them. "I... I can hear them!" she shouted over what she was hearing. She shook her head. "No! Get outta my head!" she shrieked.

* * *

In a Camden house, a mother was preparing supper for her two daughters. She shrieked for her husband when they started chanting 'we are coming'. John Frobisher rushed into the dining room and gaped at his little girls.

"Stop it," he whispered. "Stop it. Stop it! STOP IT!" he repeated, panicking.

The front door to their house burst open from a handheld battering ram. Four Unit personnel rushed in and found them in the dining room. Colonel Augustus Oduya walked in after them.

Taking a moment to look at Frobisher's children, Oduya turned to address the man. "John Frobisher, you are under arrest for the suspicion of treason against the Crown. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention - when questioned - something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence. Do you understand?"

While Frobisher and his wife were completely taken off guard, everyone in the room turned to the children when the chant changed abruptly.

"We are coming... Back."

* * *

 

## *Chapter 11*: Identification

* * *

Jenny's mind was on fire. There was a voice that was sickly sweet echoing from all over the place. It was like honey that went sour a very long time ago, and the sound of it was making her want to vomit. Her mind rebelled against the assault, and it felt like her throat was going raw for some reason.

She couldn't see anything, but her father and uncle were there in a sudden rush. They were followed by her mother not a second later. While she understood that this was a mindscape, hers specifically, it didn't alter the fact that everything felt so very _very_ wrong.

_'I'm here,'_ her father said, and her mental self grabbed him around the neck almost violently, clinging to him. She heard her uncle circling around, then felt her mother latch onto her from behind. _'Make it stop!'_ she pleaded to them.

The Doctor and Rose both threw shields up around the core consciousness of their daughter, and started looking for the source of the noise they were hearing. John saw it first and swore. They turned to look, and the Doctor was just as colourful with his language. Rose was initially confused, but then understood what she was seeing from her pair bond link with the Doctor.

The three of them form a very interesting triad of mental links and bonds. Rose could only feel John through her husband, and vice versa. But for the Doctor, it was a near equal measure of connectedness that he had with his wife and brother. When the twin link was wide open, he and John could coordinate with the speed of thought. However, with his pair bond link with Rose he didn't need to think at all. It just happened. And right now, both links were wide open.

This trinary, with the Doctor in the lead, was in both protective and analysis modes. While Rose had all of her effort on shielding her daughter, John was identifying the frequency of the telepathic barrage. The Doctor had his attention split between them, but it didn't really matter.

John finally heard the voice, and the language it was speaking was easily identifiable. This knowledge was instantly shared and known between them the moment it was recognized. At that point, all three of them spun a web of blocks in Jenny's mind against that particular frequency of telepathy.

Once the noise ceased, the Doctor looked closely at his daughter's mind. The raw telepathic talent she had far outstripped his own. However, she wasn't that experienced. Oddly enough, it reminded him of his granddaughter Susan, who heard nearly everything around her in the beginning. He made a mental note to attempt the same form of training regimen with Jenny once this was over.

For now though, they analyzed the frequency internally. The Doctor dismissed John's solution out of hand due to the brutality of it, but then again Rose was all for it. He didn't like it, but it could always become Plan B. John mused that they never back down when asked, but his brother still had to try. It was at this point that the Doctor realized just how far he would go to protect his daughter, and that epiphany scared him a little.

* * *

All the Torchwood team and the Brigadier saw, was the Doctor placing his right palm on Jenny's scalp a split second before John placed his fingertips on her right temple. Rose followed that a second later with her fingertips on Jenny's left temple. Once all three of them had a hand somewhere on her head, Jenny stopped screaming.

Jack didn't relax until Jenny's face calmed. Out of everyone in the room, he was the most disturbed since he could hear Jenny's mental shrieking. When she settled down, he noticed that both Gwen and Martha were half standing and leaning on the table like he was, fully prepared to jump in if needed. On the other hand, Mickey was gaping at Jenny with a terrified look on his face while Ianto simply looked worried. The Brigadier, on the third hand, looked trapped between being shocked and concerned.

It was only a minute before they removed their hands, but when they did almost everyone scooted away from them. John and Rose opened their eyes with such a look of murder, that it was far past disturbing when compared to the Doctor's blank calm. Add to the fact that the twin's were pitch black while Rose's were radiating gold light? Well, suffice it to say that it was... _yeah_.

Jack stood up straight when the Doctor turned those pitch black eyes towards him. It almost felt like he was accusing him of something. Only one word whispered out his lips, though. "Macra."

At the utterance of that word, nearly all the colour drained from Jack's face. His eyelids disappeared from how wide his eyes became. He murmured, "Oh God," as he fell backwards into his chair. His team gaped at him, wondering what in the world could scare him like that. The Daleks were high up on that list, but his reaction to this seemed worse for some reason.

The Brigadier wasn't all that concerned about the changing eye colours. He'd seen the Doctor's do that before, but he made a mental note to later ask about Dame Tyler's. That was extremely unusual to him since he wasn't informed about her biological change. However, when the Doctor said an unfamiliar word, there was a crackle of red that lurked underneath the blackness and that worried him. He'd only seen that once previously, and that was back when he wore that absurd multicoloured coat. "Is that a name or a species?"

John went back to his seat, and the Brigadier noticed that the crackle behind his eyes was blue instead of red. That was interesting. "Macra are the scourge of the galaxy you call M87," John said as he sat down. "Crustacean gas eaters that like to use other species as slaves for their various mines. Chemicals can either be food for them, or stimulants, depressants..."

"D'you mean like drugs?" Martha asked, interrupting his train of thought. John blinked his eyes to normal and nodded at her.

The mention of creatures that survived on gas sparked a memory in Alistair's mind, and he turned to the Doctor. "Just a moment. You mentioned something about them back when you wore checked trousers and that ridiculous fur coat of yours. Something about," he snapped his fingers repeatedly, trying to get the name off the tip of his tongue, "oh what was the name? Some Earth colony in the far future?"

"Maloria," the Doctor said, nodding. He was busy flooding Jenny's mind with love and comfort while he was hugging her from behind her chair. "Same galaxy, but a different race of the same species. There are five different races in the Macran Empire. One resemble spiders, another crabs, but the other three don't resemble any form of crustacean or insect you've ever seen here before."

Ianto mumbled quietly. "I'm almost afraid to ask which one found us so interesting." Mickey looked at him and nodded in silent agreement.

"Quadrupeds with an upright stance similar to a mythical centaur," John said.

Rose nodded. "I saw a set of pincers that were held up by arms that looked to be nearly straight up. That, or it had three heads." She frowned. "Reminded me of an angry lobster or something."

"Highly telepathic," the Doctor said quietly as his eyes receded to normal. "And you were on the mark with your second description there, Rose. Three brains in three heads."

Gwen looked alarmed. "You saw them?"

Rose nodded, but John spoke up before she could reply. "Doctor, that felt partially artificial to me. Almost like they're using some form of technological _boost_ or something."

The Doctor kissed Jenny's cheek, then went to his chair. Rose took his place in hugging her from the side, since Jenny still had tears running down her face. "That makes sense, though," he said. "They _are_ a hell of a long way away. Plus, they had to use _something_ to be called 'the 456'," he finger quoted with disdain.

"How can you be so sure?" the Brigadier asked. "Couldn't they be in orbit?"

"They don't develop intergalactic travel for another eight hundred years, Alistair," John explained. "While they can go between their own star systems, the Milky Way is simply too far for them just yet."

"However," the Doctor mused, "If they _are_ after more children and they aren't using a ship of some sort, then they would definitely need a subspace transmat. One with a tremendous amount of power."

Alistair tilted his head. "I know what a transmat is, but what is a _subspace_ transmat?"

"Subspace is what most civilizations use for interstellar travel, Brigadier," Jack said with a worried frown. "And like with regular space, a transmission or beam of light is a lot faster than a ship."

"Damn," John blurted. "It's at times like this I wish the old Unit team was still together." He leaned on the table and ran a hand over the side of his face.

"Who are you thinking about?" the Doctor asked.

"Whom do you need?" the Brigadier asked at the same time.

"That annoying, petulant weasel of a technician," John said. "Had no tact, but was far too brilliant." He pointed at the Doctor, "Your old verbal sparring and chess partner."

"Paul Dekker?" the Doctor asked with a look of disgust. "What the hell for?"

John looked at the Brigadier. "He was with Unit for a long time before my brother worked as an advisor. Was he involved with project Bright Star?"

"Yes he was," Jack said. "He was worse than you on hypervodka, Doc. Surly doesn't even come close to describing that man."

"I want my room," Jenny said quietly, interrupting the flow of the conversation. Everyone turned to look at her when Rose got up. Pulling her from her chair, Rose led Jenny out. Before they were through the door, Jenny made eye contact with Jack. _'Hurt them. Please hurt them a lot.'_

_'I will,'_ Jack replied without even thinking about it. The look of frightened pain on Jenny's face pissed him off to no end, and her mental voice sounded like she was about to break down crying at any moment. If it wasn't for the others in the room, he'd have hugged her already. However, there wasn't time for that, and other things to think about.

Martha stood up and went to the bay window overlooking the interior of the hub. When Rose and Jenny entered the TARDIS, she turned around. "All right, explain something to me." She walked over to sit down next to the Doctor. "Is this an age thing or hormonal? Jenny can't be that old, but she's physically an adult... So, how did she hear them?"

John frowned, not knowing the answer to that. He simply did what everyone else did, and looked at the Doctor. _'I haven't a clue, do you?'_

The Doctor raised his eyebrow at John. _'Surprised you haven't noticed.'_ He turned to Martha. "It's not because she's eight, Martha. Jenny's a raw telepathic talent the likes of which even _I've_ never seen." He took a quick sip of his coffee. "However, she's inexperienced in dealing with it. Were she physically eight years old in _appearance_ , I doubt she would've reacted any differently. While human children wouldn't have any defence against that level of telepathic assault, our Gallifreyan physiology has natural telepathic shields. However, it's my fault that Jenny doesn't have any control over them. We set up blocks in her mind against that particular telepathic frequency. While it's a stopgap measure, she shouldn't have any more of those incidents with them."

Mickey's eyes were doing their best to pop out of his head. "She's a child? Where's her mother?" he practically shouted.

John rolled his eyes. "She just took her to her room, you prawn. Do we have to do this now?"

Martha added to John's outburst by glaring at Mickey. Sufficiently chastised, he sat back in his chair and practically hid behind his coffee mug.

"She both is and isn't a child, Mickey," the Doctor explained quietly. "Even though she's considered one by Time Lord Standards, she has the emotional maturity of someone in their mid twenties, in relation to humans that is."

Mickey didn't quite know how to take that, and looked confused at that statement. Jack, on the other hand, felt a bit more relieved. Ianto saw him relax and got worried about the competition.

The Doctor closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Unfortunately, John's right, Alistair. We need to talk to Paul if he's still alive. Is there any chance you could see where he is now? Working or retired, it makes no difference."

"I'll see to it," the Brigadier said. Standing up, he pulled a mobile out of his jacket pocket and stepped outside the conference room.

Once he was out, the Doctor spoke up again. "I don't know about anyone else, but I'm knackered. If there aren't any berths here in the hub, anyone who wants to can sleep in a nice bed in the TARDIS."

The Brigadier stuck his head back into the room. "They tell me that there's a Rhys Williams at the door. Does anyone know who that is?"

Gwen shot out of her chair. "That's my husband. Let him in!"

* * *

Once Rose got Jenny inside the ship, they weren't through the console room before Jenny started to shake and hitch her breath. Rose sent a silent plea to their home to shield her husband and brother in law from this, in order to keep from distracting them. She sat them at the jump seat, and wrapped Jenny up tight in her arms.

"It hurt so much!" Jenny sobbed into Rose's shoulder.

Rose rocked from side to side as she held her. "I know, swee'hear'. We're going to fix it, I promise." Jenny was clinging to her so tightly, that it was almost painful. While she wasn't sure what they were going to do to resolve this, Rose wanted nothing more than to give the Macra as much pain as they caused her daughter... if not worse.

* * *

 

## *Chapter 12*: Day Two

* * *

The night went surprisingly without incident. After the meeting was over, the Doctor set up rooms for those that wanted them, and pulled forward Jack's and Martha's from before. The TARDIS was sneaky though, and combined Martha's with Mickey's. Rhys, not having had the pleasure of staying on the ship before, was quite vocal about how 'bloody unreal' it was.

Speaking of Rhys, he took the news of Gwen's pregnancy far better than Gwen had hoped, or even liked. They argued about keeping it. While her point of view concerned the practicality of their lifestyle, his said that it didn't matter. They ended up shouting a lot before turning in, without resolving anything.

On the subject of babies, Rose and the Doctor were overjoyed after they got over the shock of everything else that happened that evening. Getting Jenny settled was difficult though. Ironically, an old Earth tradition saved everyone a lot of trouble, and Jenny ended up napping with her parents in their overlarge bed. She simply didn't want to be left alone.

John on the other hand, was busy coordinating with the Brigadier and Jack for most of the night. Locating Paul Dekker wasn't that hard, nor was it a surprise when they found out that he was working in Thames House. The Brigadier later left to handle him personally.

* * *

"So, how's it feel knowing that you're becoming an uncle?" Jack asked. They were in his office and sharing a bottle of scotch. The clock on the wall was clicking past the two, at four in the morning.

John grinned. "Well, I'm an uncle already you know. But it _is_ pretty brilliant." He snickered, "Did you _see_ the look on their faces?" he asked in a rather high pitch.

Jack laughed. "I know! It was like they had no idea that could happen."

"Mind you," John winced, "the next ten months are going to be a complete and total hell."

Jack's eyed him with a look of shock. "Ten? Are you serious? Isn't she already a month along or something?"

"Well, if what my brother said about the wee one was accurate, it's going to be a _very_ long year." John rubbed the back of his neck, frowning. "Everything I've read about the natural reproduction of our species revolves around an eleven month gestational period."

"I thought nine months was bad," Jack said and downed the rest of his drink. "Want another?"

John drank the remainder of his quickly, then held his Glencairn Glass out. "Please." While Jack poured, his gob was off and running again. "Still though, the happy patter of little feet, nappies, bottles... screeching..." he trailed off and frowned with a pursing of lips. "Now I understand why we came out _after_ that ungodly period of development."

Jack snorted and filled his own drink. "Well, at least you guys don't have to worry about staying up late with feedings and whatnot."

John held his glass up and smirked. "I'll drink to that." He took a swallow and smiled. "Superior physiology. Never did understand why you lot sleep all the time. Now though, it makes perfect sense."

"What do you mean?" Jack asked.

A bemused smile went over John's face. "Donna's memories are rattling around up here," he motioned a hand around his head. "I remember the lazy feelings of sleeping in on a Saturday morning. The utter relaxation and contentment is a powerful pull there." His smile changed to a frown. "How is she?" he asked quietly.

Jack grinned out the side of his mouth. "Not bad. We run interference with her every now and again. She still has a knack for getting in the middle of things."

A sad smile was on John's face now. "Yeah. She always did know how to stir things up. Anything out of the ordinary?"

"She temped at a company that was run by aliens." Jack said, which got a curious look out of John. "She ran into Sara Jane, who got her out of there with little fuss, and ended up having the documents that showed that the company was completely fake."

John chuckled. "Good for her."

Jack caught the look in John's eyes. "You miss her, don't you?"

"Oh God," John sighed, "Like you wouldn't believe." He took a rather lengthy pull of scotch at that.

"You going to be okay in a few hours?" Jack asked, pointing at John's glass.

John blinked at him. "Time Lord Physiology. All I need to do is activate certain enzymes and I'm sober."

"That cheeky bastard!" Jack nearly shouted.

John snorted. "He _did_ try to tell you that you couldn't drink him under the table. You just wouldn't listen."

"Still a bastard," Jack grumbled.

" _He_ on the other hand, is going to have a _wallbanger_ of a headache in a few hours," John said, looking at Ianto's prone form on the couch. "Oi! Lightweight!" He reached over and back smacked the man's shoe.

"Fuck off," Ianto mumbled, making the two of them snicker.

* * *

At six AM sharp, the TARDIS gently roused her human occupants by adjusting the lights in some cases, and small gusts of air in others. Showers and other loo morning rituals later, and everyone found themselves in an enlarged version of the kitchen. Those that had no clue how to navigate, namely Gwen and Rhys, were steered by wafts of coffee, tea, and the smell of a very large breakfast.

"Oh, bloody hell, that smells absolutely gorgeous," Rhys mumbled as he stumbled in after Gwen. They were the last to arrive, and were rather impressed by the large table that everyone was sitting around.

Gwen smirked at Mickey slightly poking a more than hung over Ianto. "You alive over there?" he asked.

Ianto pointed at Jack, then at John. "It's their fault."

Martha smirked. "Well, at least you didn't have to fix coffee for everyone." A slight rumble came out of Ianto as he drank a blend of coffee that he didn't recognize.

The morning grazing by everyone was rather quiet for the most part. Jenny was nearly glued to Rose's side. While she wasn't tired or lagging this morning, last night's to do in her head left her slightly gun shy.

"I'm having it," Gwen said abruptly, causing everyone to look at her. Rhys' response was immediate. His eyes popped as wide as his smile, and he hugged and kissed her from the side. Congratulations went around the table.

Rose leaned across the table and Gwen took her offered hand by twining their fingers together. They spent a few seconds in non verbal communication, which included smiles, glances down the table, and a matching pair of nods. Beaming at each other, they turned to stare at Martha.

They probably couldn't have done it again if they tried, but when Martha looked up to see them both smiling at her, they said 'Your Turn,' in sing song voices at the same time. Oddly enough, they were in tune as well. Fifths, but they were in tune.

Martha's eyes popped, and she nearly dropped her fork. "Ohhhh No!" She sat up straighter and tried to hide behind Mickey. "You two leave me outta that! Have to get married first, or my mother will bloody kill me!"

Mickey nodded in wide eyed agreement. "Right after she gets done burying me, too!"

Jack, Rhys, and John bust out laughing. "Oh, c'mon Martha!" Jack prodded. "You can't pass that up. All for one and one for all, and all that jazz," he smirked.

Martha tried glaring at him, but it came across as a rather stunned look instead. "We are _not_ the Three Musketeers!" She shook her head. "Besides, I'm the one that's going to be taking charge of them while they're prenatal. Can't very well do that, if I'm waddling along with them!"

John snorted when Rose and Gwen came up short with their own mental images of wandering around as big as houses. Rose wasn't broadcasting, but he could read her like a book. And, by the expression Gwen had, she was thinking something along the same lines. "Of course you can, Martha. Besides, you're not the only doctor at the table here."

Martha crossed her arms and gave John her version of the look. "Alright, let's get one thing straight here mister. There may be two of you, but as far as this goes... _I'm_ the bloody Doctor. I'm taking charge and that's final."

John was impressed and looked at Mickey. "Got your hands full with that one."

"Gonna smack you if you keep that up," Martha said with a smile, trying not to laugh.

John snorted, then he as well as his brother, Rose, and Jenny sat up straight with various inflections of audible surprise. It went from a sharp inhalation from Jenny; a squeak of surprise from Rose; John clapped his teeth shut; and the Doctor dropped his fork with a clatter.

With everyone's attention at their end of the table, no one noticed Jack's head snapping up as well. He blinked, and turned his slack jawed expression towards Rose.

Before anyone could ask them what was wrong, three of them looked at Rose while she looked down with a wide eyed smile. "Well, _hello_! Blimey, you know how to get attention, don't you..." she paused and smiled wider, "young man?"

Martha grinned through everyone else's confusion. "Was that the violin string being plucked?"

"Boy, howdy," John said in a terrible American accent, grinning ear to ear. He clapped the Doctor's shoulder from across the table. "How's it feel poppa?"

"Brilliant!" the Doctor said, drawing the word out.

Jenny smiled. "I'm going to have a brother!"

"All right, I'll ask the obvious question," Rhys said, completely confused. "How the hell do you know what it is? I thought you found out last night and all? Don't you need to run a test or something?"

John looked over at him while his brother was completely entranced and hugging his wife. "Rhys, we're a telepathic species. Even though the boy is wee, his mental voice just shouted for the first time." He didn't bother with the timeline explanation, for the fear of just confusing everyone.

"That was like someone reached in and grabbed my spine or something," Jenny said, still looking at Rose's stomach.

Rose nodded, and couldn't keep from smiling. "Tell me about it! Try having it inside when it happens!"

John nudged Rhys with his elbow. "You know what this means don't you? With Rose having a boy, you two _have_ to have a girl."

Rhys turned to look at him, confused. "Why's that then?"

John shrugged. "Well, he is going to need a girlfriend eventually," he smirked.

Gwen peaked around Rhys to look at John. "Oi, no planning weddings while they're still inside!" she said through her smile.

"What she said," Rhys nodded in agreement, fake frowning.

Rose and the Doctor looked at each other with wide eyes. _'Was that?_ ' Rose started to ask, and he nodded. _'His name! Oh, that's brilliant! Keep quiet now, only the two of us are supposed to know that one.'_

Rose looked confused. _'But how did he do that?'_

The Doctor smiled. _'We're Time Lords dear. That name reverberated from his personal future.'_

_'He's gonna need another one,'_ she mused _. 'I always liked Joshua Daniel.'_

_'Tyler or Shanfei?'_ the Doctor asked with full amusement. _'Although, Lungbarrow has a nice ring to it.'_

_'Tyler!'_ she snapped, then growled in his head. _'Honestly.'_

"What're they doing?" Jack asked, watching the pair's changing facial expressions at each other.

John smirked. "Boy names, I think. They locked me out of that discussion." The Doctor whapped the back of John's head when he probed them with a mental question. "Yep. Names."

* * *

 

## *Chapter 13*: Thames House

* * *

Once the breakfast grazing was over, morning routines in the hub were gone through. Fortunately for Ianto, his morning was handled a bit better when John slipped him a hangover remedy. Not that he liked it, though. The remedy involved a non-syringe injection in his neck, the loo, and his unprocessed alcohol leaving his system the way it came back in. He wasn't happy, but he was sober and pain free at least.

Ianto wasn't sure when he was going to get back at Jack and John, but he was sure it would involve spiking their coffee with laxatives.

At seven AM sharp, Thames House was besieged with a near literal platoon of Unit soldiers and a very unhappy Brigadier. Once Frobisher was in custody the night before, he lasted all of thirty minutes before he told Colonel Oduya everything that transpired. That, in addition to who the Blank Page order "didn't" come from.

Frobisher's revelation was what had the Brigadier in such a foul mood this morning. Once Thames House was secure, he called Captain Harkness to request the relocation of the TARDIS and her crew to the thirteenth floor of Thames House.

The room was a cluttered mess of construction. Metal beams were piled up in one corner, while pallets of reinforced plexiplate glass was in another. Canisters of various chemicals were against the far wall, in between the two piles. Along the opposite wall of the oversized rectangular room, archaic looking equipment was alongside more modern computers. Unit soldiers were guarding all the entrances to the room.

In the centre stood an architects easel with blueprints for the construction. Paul Dekker stood next to it, with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. He was wearing a yellow safety hard hat over his salt and peppered hair, and was wearing a set of blue grey coveralls. His suit and red tie was peaking out from the top of them. "Well? Where is he then, our savior?" he sarcastically asked with a look of pure annoyance.

"Oh, put a sock in it Dekker," the Brigadier growled from the only vacant corner. He was in full uniform, and had his mobile up to his ear. "Yes, he's here," he muttered into the phone. "Yes, I'm standing next to the only clear spot in the room. What? Oh, right."

The Brigadier backed up a few steps just before the wind started to stir up every light thing that wasn't nailed down. This annoyed Dekker further, as he had to catch the blueprints. "Oi!" The sound of the TARDIS engines then filled the place before it thunked into existence.

Dekker glared at Jack when he stepped out of the TARDIS. "Since when are you the Doctor, Harkness?" he shouted as the rest of his team filed out of the time ship behind him.

Jack smiled wide and chuckled. "If I'm the Doctor, then you're in a world of shit Paul." Looking back into the ship, he noticed that Rhys was still arguing with Gwen over being involved while she was pregnant. That ceased when Rose cuffed him on the back of the head. "Pregnant doesn't mean invalid, now shut it and stay put!" she yelled at him, making Jack's smile even wider. God, he missed this.

Gwen and Rose exited the TARDIS arm and arm, grinning at each other. They were followed by John and the Doctor, but Jenny stayed behind to keep Rhys company.

Dekker went bug-eyed when he saw the brothers. He recognized the Doctor immediately from surveillance photos, but he wasn't prepared for seeing double. He refrained from checking his glasses, though, since the two of them were dressed differently. Assuming the one in the brown pinstripes was the Doctor, the one in the charcoal grey suit had to be a mirage.

John saw Dekker's look of shock and grinned. Leaving his brother to chat with the Brigadier, he went over and introduced himself. "You're not imagining things, Paul. There really are two of us." He took the man's hand and shook it, "How're you doing, you young codger? Still cheating at chess?"

Paul blinked. "Doctor?" It was so rare that he was surprised anymore, that it was a novel experience for him.

He shook his head, still grinning. "Call me John. I'm the overbearing dandy's brother. Don't overthink it or you'll get a headache. So, what's all this about, eh?"

Paul looked over John's shoulder to see the Brigadier and the actual Doctor smirking at him. The Brigadier nodded at him, and he curtly nodded back. "Well, this was an organized mess before you lot showed up, but these," he pointed at the haphazard papers on the easel, "are the blueprints the 456 sent with their second barrage."

John put on his round spectacles, and looked over Paul's shoulder as he explained. "No telling what it's for, but my guess is that it's an oversized breathing apparatus for them, what with all the poisonous fumes that they told us to fill it with."

He pointed at the list that was on one side, and Paul nodded. John read it aloud as well as relaying what he was seeing to his family. "Twenty five percent nitrosyl chloride, twenty two percent hydrogen chloride, twenty percent nitrogen, twelve percent fluorine, nine percent hydrogen cyanide, six percent acetone, and six percent phosgene. Yep, that's a right mix of poison there," he mused, pursing his lips in annoyance. "A perfect atmosphere for the Macra."

Paul looked at him. "Macra? Is that who the 456 are?" John nodded, making him frown. "Read up on that lot. This isn't going to be pretty is it?"

"No," John agreed. "Not one damn bit."

While John was getting acquainted with Dekker, the Brigadier was busy filling the others in on what transpired the previous night. "Mr. Frobisher claims to have been acting on orders. Orders that came from nearly the highest level."

"Nearly?" the Doctor asked. Seeing the look on Alistair's face, he realized. "Oh. That could be a problem, especially in proving it. I can only assume that this was a verbal, without any sort of paperwork," he stated rather than asked.

Alistair nodded. "That's what a Blank Page order is for, deniability. We did find the email that his lead assistant sent out, from what her assistant told us, but only her name is linked to this. However, I do believe that there is another way to get the proof."

The Doctor looked at him in confusion at first, then scowled. "No. Alistair, I told you I don't like doing that. That's off limits." Rose squeezed his hand when she felt his apprehension.

"Don't misunderstand me," Alistair said, shaking his head. "From what I remember, you said that permission was required." The Doctor nodded at that. "Well, he's given it."

"Oh."

"Quite."

The Doctor sighed loudly with a warbling of his lips, and he felt Rose rubbing his consciousness in supportive sympathy. "Oh, all right then. Where is the little weasel?"

* * *

Jenny was entertaining Rhys in the kitchen, and was endearing herself to him with the multitude of various snacks and pastries from all over the place. "Oh, this is bloody gorgeous," he said around a mouthful. "Where's this one from, then?"

Smirking, Jenny asked the ship before answering. "A planet called Sto. They stole the recipe from Earth, but didn't have chocolate for the frosting. Instead of coco beans, they used a flower seed that had a similar texture and consistency when processed. Flavor isn't right, but I rather like it. I think it's called an _houveur_ éclair?"

Rhys nodded as he sucked out some of the filling. He smacked his lips in appreciation, and had some tea to wash it down. "It's fantastic. Don't suppose I could convince your father to part with some of these after all this is over?"

Jenny giggled, "Oh, I'm sure he could..." She winced suddenly and put her fingers to her temples. "Fuckin' hell, they're at it again!"

"You all right, love?" Rhys asked, reaching over to put a hand on her shoulder.

She shook her head. "The Macra aliens are sending another message, but at least it's tolerable now. Last night was bloody murder on a stick!" she complained.

"What they sayin'?" he asked.

Jenny pursed her lips. "We are coming tomorrow," she said, fully annoyed. "Hold on, telling dad." She closed her eyes for a second, and arched a brow. "Well, he's as aggravated as I am now. I think more because I can still hear them than what they're saying, though. My parents set up mental blocks against it last night, but it's still filtering through. Blimey, that smarts."

Rhys tilted his head at her. "What's that like?"

"What d'you mean? It hurts," she said, confused.

He shook his head. "Not that, sorry. Meant what's it like being able to talk with your mind and all that?"

Jenny thought for a moment, trying to come up with words to describe it. "Well, when it's casual like what I just did now to talk to dad, it's like having a telephone conversation. Or, like with your mobile devices, we can send pictures as well. Sort of like what Uncle John did a few minutes ago, when he looked over the blueprints for that containment cell they're building out there."

* * *

The Brigadier led the Doctor and Rose to a room, where they found John Frobisher. He was sitting at a non descript desk, and was under guard by one of the Unit soldiers. Still wearing the suit he had on yesterday, he was pensive, annoyed that he hadn't had a shower, and more than a little afraid of his situation. When the Brigadier came in, he saw the Doctor behind him and stood up immediately. "Sir."

Rose let go of the Doctor's hand and stood back at the door, crossing her arms. While she was thoroughly pissed off at Frobisher for the attempted assault and ambush of her Daughter and best friend, she kept quiet about it. She knew full well that she'd shout the place down if she got started.

Stepping up to the other side of the desk, the Doctor nodded at him with a frown. "They tell me you ordered the attack," he said quietly. Unconsciously mirroring his wife, he crossed his arms and glared at the man. "Why?"

Swallowing nervously, Frobisher nodded and tried to ignore the bead of sweat that started trailing down the side of his face. Steeling himself, he inhaled and tried to keep his voice from shaking. "I was under orders to do so. There was the fear of leaks to the media from the original team that were involved with the first incident."

The Doctor thought that was logical, but murder was still murder. His glare never left Frobisher's eyes. "Whom did the order come from?"

The man started to blink rapidly. He swallowed again before speaking. "Brian Green."

The Doctor looked to Alistair, who clarified by repeating what he told him already. "The Prime Minister."

Rose closed her eyes and bit her lip, doing her level best to not explode. She was starting to hate 10 Downing Street, what with all the trouble that came from the place. The Doctor's mind caressed hers with soothing feelings, which helped to calm her down.

Focusing his external attention on Frobisher, the Doctor nodded. "The Brigadier tells me that you've agreed to a telepathic scan to verify that audacious and dangerous claim. Is this true?"

He looked nervous, but Frobisher nodded. "Please."

Walking around the desk, the Doctor came face to face with the man and placed his fingertips on his temples. Frobisher's eyes rolled backwards as the Doctor entered his mind. Forgoing the mindscape walk for a lighter memory scan, the Doctor frowned when he came across the memory.

What surprised the Doctor, was the near overwhelming sense of mortification when the Prime Minister told him to eliminate them. Then, when he went on to say that his name couldn't have any part of it, the dread of fear was genuine over what Frobisher realized what would happen if something went wrong.

Letting go of his temples, the Doctor put his hands on Frobisher's shoulders. "You could've said no," he said quietly.

Frobisher looked down and nodded. "I know," he whispered, "but what else could I have done? He's the Prime Minister."

"It's all right," the Doctor said, squeezing his shoulders. "But, I want you to _personally apologize_ to my daughter for getting her caught up in his coup."

Frobisher looked up in alarm, but Rose cut off whatever he was going to say. "Bloody right, you will. Nearly gave us a hearts attack when they were ambushed! Fortunately for you, she took out your entire team," she said with more than a hint of pride. It wasn't the _exact_ truth, but no one needed to know about River, so she played up Jenny.

At this point, the Doctor had let go of Frobisher and took Rose's mobile, who had it out for him before he reached for it. He dialed a number and it was ringing when Alistair asked, "Who are you calling?"

The Doctor looked at him. "She has a right to know who's bollixing up her country."

Frobisher blanched a pale white when the Doctor spoke into the phone. "Elizabeth? It's the Doctor. Yes, I'm right on top of it. It's my sad duty to inform you of some very un-nice things done by your Prime Minister."

Alistair stepped over to Rose. "Since when did he get the Queen's private number?" he whispered.

Rose grinned up at him. "It was right after that daft Titanic thing. She heard how much trouble he had in trying to reach her before the near miss, and decided that he needed it."

"Hmmm. Quite," the Brigadier replied with a smirk.

* * *

 

## *Chapter 14*: Politics

* * *

**10 Downing Street**

* * *

The main offices of the Prime Minister were a flurry and a buzz of activity, even more so than what would be considered normal - given the circumstances. Word of the MI5 building being, _quite literally_ , invaded by the Unified Intelligence Taskforce spread like a wildfire. Telephones were ringing everywhere, and personnel from Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, to _their_ assistants and interns were all battling the land lines.

The only quiet place in the building was the Cabinet Office, where the Prime Minister was - in essence - hiding. Not to say that he wasn't busy. Far from it, but he was using his staff to buffer the incoming calls while he focused on damage control. Of the three people in the room, two advisers and Home Secretary Denise Riley, his undersecretary was busy pacing the floor while babbling on about who could take the blame for yesterday's 'blunder'.

After listening to the twenty something young man rabbiting on in circles for the past half hour, Denise had enough. Standing up, she brushed her business skirt down and placed a calming hand on the young man's shoulder. "Roger, stop it. You're not helping anymore. Now do us all a favor and go fetch some tea or something."

Off his shocked expression, she was more forceful. "Get out." Denise looked to the other person in the room, a lady of whom she temporarily forgot the name of. "Both of you, out. Out _Now_."

She had her arms crossed and waited for them to leave. The Prime Minister had yet to say a word in either direction, but when the door closed behind them he felt the need. "Was that hardly necessary, Denise?"

"Don't 'Denise' me, _Brian_ ," she half shouted. "The Security Service of Her Majesty's Government is currently under control of the _United Nations_ , and you've had everyone wittering on about _damage_ control?"

She leaned on the large table with both hands. " _Damage_ _Control_? This is so far beyond control that I'm surprised the Thames hasn't flooded the place! You didn't even consult..."

Brian stood up with a scowl, "How _dare_ you _..._ " he half got out, before being interrupted by Roger rushing back into the room.

"Sir, the Flag has been raised," he said with a non too subtle hint of panic.

Denise paled, but the Prime Minister was slightly confused from his temper. "What flag? What are you on about?"

Roger glanced at the Home Secretary briefly, then back to the Prime Minister. "The Elder, sir. Wills."

It was at this point that Brian Green recognized the distinct _lack of sound_ coming from outside. Denise took her leave silently and hurried to the door. She would've made it out, had it not been for the person in question standing on the other side. She gaped stupidly for a brief second, before her internal control settled. Lowering her head slightly, she did a half curtsy and stepped aside. "Highness."

The man was _not_ happy, given his expression. After two suited guards preceded him into the room, he glanced at her. "Please stay." Stepping into the room himself, he looked at Roger. "You're excused."

Roger Dernes swallowed hard and bowed. He gave a rather meek 'Highness', and rapidly left the room, closing the door behind him.

"Your Majesty, what may I do for you?" the Prime Minister said with a smile. He looked at the table when the Prince dropped manila folder on it.

"You can sign that," Prince William stated flatly. "It's your resignation."

The Prime Minister looked back up in alarm. "Your _Majesty_..." he was cut off by a simple raised hand.

"I have spent the better part of the morning being briefed as to the current situation. While Grandmama didn't approve of my suggestion, this was the compromise that will read better in The Times."

The Prime Minister opened the folder and skimmed the single page within. "Health reasons?" he wondered aloud.

"It will be one way or another, _Mister_ Green." The icy tone wasn't missed, nor the lack of title.

Brian Green looked up from the page. "I was trying to save the Crown from the embarrassment..."

" _Do Not Test Me_ on this!" the Prince shouted. "You personally went after the _one entity_ that has the most experience with alien affairs, set up by the _Royal Family_ no less! Had you succeeded, the world's best asset in its defence would be nonexistent!" He pointed at the document on the table. "Now _sign_ that or my suggestion becomes fact, and you'll be taken out back and shot!"

'Mister' Green quickly grabbed a pen from his breast pocket and signed the document.

* * *

**Thames House**

Mickey, Gwen, and Rose were busy in the corner with the computers. Mickey was thoroughly impressed by Rose's typing skills, but what she was typing went over his head completely. He did his best to ignore that fact and plodded on with what he had in front of him. His discomfort was noticed though, and the girls shared a wink with each other.

Jack and the Doctor were taking a mental break with some tea, while watching John confound Paul by redrawing the blue prints. "You sure this is a good idea?" Jack asked him.

"I'm not completely thrilled by it," the Doctor conceded. "However, I can't fault the logic." His expression changed to a wince. "Although, seeing Dekker grin like that is making my skin crawl."

Jack looked over at what he was talking about and frowned. Dekker was gesticulating madly, now that he understood what was going on. "Yeah. I've seen that grin a couple of times myself. Never a good thing when he's _that_ happy."

"Still though," the Doctor mused, "it's better than the alternative."

"How's Jenny holding up?" Jack asked, abruptly changing the uncomfortable subject.

Looking to the TARDIS, the Doctor grinned. "A lot better than I thought she would be, to be perfectly honest."

They were interrupted when they saw Frobisher entering the room. He swallowed nervously and walked to them with a forced sense of confidence. "Doctor?" he started, before swallowing again. "Would now be a good time?"

The Doctor nodded, "Just a moment." Looking to the TARDIS again, he closed his eyes briefly and looked back to Frobisher. "She'll be out shortly."

Jenny came out of the TARDIS three minutes later, wearing a different leather jacket. Forest green this time, it was zipped up halfway covering her navy blue tee shirt. Having taken a liking to her father's footwear of choice, she had on a pair of black canvas trainers. Faded and tight fitting blue denim pants completed this ensemble.

She paused at the TARDIS door and looked at Rose first, then John, and finally her father. Seeing who was with him, she scowled and stomped forward with a purpose. Before the Doctor could stop her, she slapped Frobisher with a crack that brought everyone's attention.

"Yes, I deserved that," he said quietly, looking at his right shoe.

Jenny was in his face now. Looking up, she shouted at him. "Give me one good reason I shouldn't break every damned bone in your body!" she demanded.

Jack raised his eyebrows, and was thoroughly impressed that she hadn't done so already. He caught himself thinking again, and quickly tamped that out with a metaphorical foot. Ianto on the other hand, turned from his tea nursing and smirked at the situation.

Rubbing his cheek, Frobisher looked her in the eye. "And you have every right to do so, my dear. However, I came to personally apologize for the entire incident." He looked at Jack. "To both of you. I was under..."

"Orders! Yes, I _know_ that!" Jenny said at full volume, flushing slightly from what she heard Jack thinking about. " _Everyone_ has a choice, including you! You don't have to kill just because someone _orders_ you to do it. There are alternatives to everything!"

The Doctor fought a prideful smile at the sound of his daughter reciting the first lesson he ever taught her. Still though... "Jenny," he said quietly.

Frobisher shook his head. "No, Doctor, she has every right to this. I have never felt more ashamed in my life than when I went along with it. If my daughters weren't affected, I doubt I would've gone with no objections. As it is, I can barely look at them or my wife without wanting to shoot myself in the head. I never signed up for being part of an assassination attempt."

"Wouldn't have worked, you know," Jack said. "Hurt like hell, maybe, but you know better."

Frobisher couldn't look them in the eyes anymore. "The working theory was that your Lazarus qualities were related to the rift," he said quietly.

Both Jack and the Doctor snickered at that. John was a bit louder from across the room. "Hah! You hear that Rose?" he called out. "They think that daft rift makes Jack get up after his post mortem!" Rose turned around from her typing and started laughing like crazy.

* * *

## *Chapter 15*: Of Fixed Points

* * *

Frobisher stood there, trying to figure out what all the commotion was about. Sure it was a theory that was possibly wrong, but why on earth were they becoming hysterical with laughter over it? He looked around to see Dame Tyler holding on to her stomach from laughing so hard. "I... I don't understand. If that wasn't the reason, then what was it?"

If he was confused before, it only got worse when Jack lifted his arm halfway up to point at Rose. "Blondie over there? It's her fault."

"Oh Jack, I said I was sorry," Rose said through her dying giggles.

Jack's pointing hand changed to a dismissive wave. "Just telling him. Forgave you the instant the Doctor told me about what happened. Couldn't stay mad at you anyway, Rosie," he grinned.

This turn of the conversation had Jenny at a loss. She looked between the men and her mother with an expression of bafflement just as bad as Frobisher had on his face. Like her father though, the only word she could get out when she was this confused was, "What?"

Her head snapped around to stare at Jack, who was looking at her intently. She got a fast explanation from him relaying the conversation he had with her father, from underneath a rocket of all things. "Oh!"

If the Doctor noticed that, he didn't show it. Instead, he turned to look at Frobisher. "My wife did it," he simply said with a shrug.

"It was an accident!" Rose complained. She left a gaping Gwen and Mickey to come up to the others. "It's like this," she said to Frobisher. "Lots of crap happened in the future, and I pulled a dues ex mechana. Rather badly, but it worked... more or less." Her face twisted up into a wince when she looked up at Jack.

"Stop worrying about it Rosie," Jack said with a grin. "Wouldn't have been able to do a lot of things had you done it right or not at all. I've been able to help a _lot_ of people. Don't you go regretting saving _my_ life now."

Wanting to be done with the original conversation, Jenny held her hands up and wiggled her fingers at everyone. "Talk about this later. Back to you," she pointed at Frobisher. "You said you were sorry, right?"

Without missing a beat, Frobisher nodded. "Unequivocally."

Jenny stared into his eyes so hard that it made him uncomfortable. Satisfied with what she saw, she nodded curtly. "Forgiven. Do it again though, and all the nightmares you've ever had will become real."

That flat statement she made caused him to swallow nervously. He didn't doubt for one moment that she'd follow through with that not so subtle threat. He didn't relax until she turned and dragged Jack away from them by his arm. And even then, it was only just. Lack of sleep and coffee had him jumpy.

Ianto watched Jenny nearly drag Jack into the TARDIS and got worried. He was about to go after them when John came up beside him. "Relax," he whispered. "He knows better."

Frowning, he thumbed toward their trailing forms. "It's not him I'm worried about."

"Trust him," John said quietly. "Besides, I need you right now. Come with me."

* * *

Once she got him into the TARDIS, Jenny turned around and stared at Jack. "You can't die?"

He shrugged. "Actually, I can. Just can't stay dead."

"Is that why you're so bright?" she asked with her face screwed up with confusion.

Jack's eyebrows went up, grinning. "Well, I like to think I'm pretty smart..."

"No," she shook her head and had both of her index fingers up, doing circular motions towards him. "Time is wrapped around you so tightly that you literally blaze. It's like you're being held or something. Dad tries to not look at you, but I can't help but stare."

Jack's jovial manner dropped completely. Turning serious, he had to know what it was she was talking about. "I know only so much. What exactly _is_ it that you're seeing when you look at me? The Doctor said I was a fixed point in time and space."

It was Jenny's turn to look surprised. " _That's_ what that is?" She circled him to look from all angles, making him uncomfortable. Pausing with an idea, she came back around to the front of him. "Do you understand the TARDIS?"

Jack's eyes went wide. Biting his lip, he nodded a little and didn't like where this was going.

"Okay, that will make this a lot easier," she said. Flipping a mental switch, she let out a rapid fire of different tones that sounded like a musical jingling of bells.

Jack's hands went up. "Whoa! Not so fast! I only know so much, and that was way _way_ over my head."

Frowning, she looked up at him. Putting her hand up towards his head, she asked point blank: "Do you trust me enough to grant permission?"

Briefly glancing at her fingertips, he chewed the inside of his cheek and nodded. They touched his temple, and his eyes rolled back.

* * *

Coming into Jack's mindscape, Jenny was surprised to see several different representations all at the same time. With what she could only assume was his personal experience, slices radiated out from his core consciousness like an elaborate pie. Each slice represented all the points of his history. "This is different," she mused.

"What is?" Jack asked. To him, they were standing in the middle of a grey nothingness.

Startled, she realized. "Oh, I'm seeing it from the outside. Here, let me show you."

When she clicked her fingers, the grey expanse morphed into what she was seeing. Spinning around, Jack was starting to get nauseous from all the different images.

"What the?" Jenny said, bringing Jack around to the solid white wall she was staring at. "Do you know what that is?"

"Well, two years of my life were erased," Jack said with full annoyance. He still wanted to know what the Time Agency was keeping from him.

She shook her head. "Not erased. Blocked. Why is that here?" Not getting an answer right away, she turned to see his mental form frozen in place. "Jack?"

"Precious, he's not supposed to know that yet. Please be cautious."

Turning around, Jenny saw the TARDIS avatar standing next to her. "What? Why?"

The TARDIS smiled at her. "I can't tell you that yet either. When I go, pass that off as something to look at later and show him what you were going to when you came here. All right?"

Frowning, Jenny _knew_ this was important. She wouldn't be this evasive otherwise. "No. What is it?" she demanded.

Taking her by the shoulders, the TARDIS was gentle but firm. "I _cannot_ tell you. You are keeping River's secret, let me keep this one... pretty please?"

Pouting, Jenny had her head down while looking at her from under her brow. "Only if you promise full disclosure later."

The TARDIS smiled and nodded, fading from Jack's mindscape. Once she was gone, Jack moved again.

"Well, two years of my life were erased," Jack said with full annoyance. He still wanted to know what the Time Agency was keeping from him.

Jenny looked back at him and smiled. "We can look at that later, I promise." Turning around fully, she squared herself. "Now, as to what I was talking about." An image of Jack appeared in front of them both.

"Handsome devil," Jack chuckled. He got an absent whap to his arm for his trouble. While they were looking at the image, golden, silvered, blued, and red glowing threads began swirling around it. All of them converged over the chest and head, where they combined to form a dazzling white radiance from each spot. "Whoa," he said, having to squint in order to keep looking at it. He ended up looking through his fingers.

"Yeah," Jenny said. "And that's just the tip of the iceberg, there." Pointing at the stomach, she showed him a cyan colored thread that went through his middle, "That's yours." She pointed at the golden ones, "Mum's;" The red ones, "Dad's;" The blues, "Uncle John's;" The silvers, "and River's."

Jack didn't know how to feel, or even react. He spotted something though, and stepped up to the image. A bright green thread was looped around the image's middle chest area just once. However, it spiraled around his head several more times than the others did. Taking his index finger, he ran it along the line and felt the warmth of it. "And this one?" He looked back when Jenny inhaled with a shudder.

"What one?" she rasped. "What are you doing?" She couldn't figure out why, but her hearts were starting to race.

"There's a green one here," he said. While looking at her, an idea popped in his head. Still feeing the line with his finger, Jack lightly pinched it with his thumb and watched Jenny shudder again. "I think this one's yours," he said softly with a smirk, and he couldn't help but rub the line with his thumb. Glancing back at the image, he wasn't that surprised to see more loops of it going around the middle now.

Jack abruptly stood up straight and let go of the line. He turned to Jenny. "Are you kissing me?"

Her head snapped to look at him. "What?" she asked absently. "Oh... sorry." Scrubbing her mental scalp, she shook herself and plodded on with her explanation. " _Annnny_ way, I don't really know what all that means. But from what I'm seeing, your timeline has been knotted up with ours and I don't know why. However, it's like the threads are all combining to keep yours strong... or... something..."

Nodding absently, he was trying not to smile. "You're _still_ kissing me."

* * *

Jack opened his eyes to find Jenny's arms wrapped around his neck, and was experiencing what could only be described as a toe curling snog. While he should've been terrified, the slight chuckle from the ship told him everything he didn't want to hear. _'Oh, shit.'_

Their lips parted and Jenny's eyes only partly opened. "Ssssorry. Dunno know why I d-did that."

Arching his brow, Jack pursed his lips. "Your father and my boyfriend are going to kill us. Him you, and your father me."

Jenny tried to care, only to fail rather spectacularly. "I'll regenerate and you'll wake up," she murmured. Coming to herself, her eyes popped open fully and she let go of him. "Oh! I'm so sorry! Why did I do that?"

"Happened when I touched that green line," he said.

"Oh," she looked away and was blushing profusely. "I think that one's mine. We can't see our own timeline."

He was puzzled. "That why you pointed at nothing and said it was mine?" Jack blinked his eyes rapidly. "I'm not sure, but I think I can still see it."

"See what?"

Jack reached up and pinched the air, "That."

Jenny gasped and took an involuntary step towards him, and only barely stopped herself. "WOW. _Pleeeease_ don't do that again, or I'm afraid I'll simply shag you standing up!"

Alarmed, Jack let go of the glowing green line and backed up slowly. "Duly noted," he said. "Sorry." Looking at her expression though, he couldn't help the little smirk nor the thought behind it.

In retaliation, Jenny gave him a look and reached up to lightly run her fingers along his cyan line while showing him _exactly_ what she was thinking about him, as well as the railing he was leaning against.

"Sweet Holy Mother of Chaos!" Jack shouted. He had to hold on to said railing, or fall on the deck plating in convulsions.

Grinning wickedly, Jenny crossed her arms. "Give as good as I get. Now get back to work before those two come looking for us."

Panting, he looked at her. "Pure evil. Think I need a change of shorts."

Jenny giggled and headed for the inner door. "Bet you do. I'm swamped," she muttered.

Jack fought back what he was thinking as he watched her leave, but couldn't help looking at her posterior. The ship, on the other hand, was laughing at the pair of them.

"Yan is _so_ going to kill me," he muttered just before leaving the ship.

 

* * *

## *Chapter 16*: In Plain Sight

* * *

The door to the TARDIS opened with a creaking of wood, and Jack tentatively looked out. It had been a long time since he felt the need to hide anything like this, and he felt like a teenager trying to keep things from his parents again. Only, it wasn't _his_ parents he was worried about this time. Looking across the room, he was relieved to see Ianto being led out by John and Paul, heading for only God knows what.

He saw the rest of his team on the far left, in the other corner of the large room. They were talking quietly among themselves until Gwen caught him looking. Plastering a smile on his face, he nodded and went towards Rose, who was busy watching the telly with the Doctor and the Brigadier directly in front of him. He stopped though, when he saw what was on the screen.

They were watching the BBC News Channel, and the title at the bottom was what caught his eye. 'Political Firestorm'. The familiar blond bob cut of Carrie Gracie was relaying what little news there was about the events of the morning.

'... no information at this time as to the reasons for the dismissal. Laura Kuenssberg is at the Ten with an on site report.'

'Thank you Carrie. The only word here at 10 Downing Street is shock, complete and total shock. Prince William's arrival this morning has everyone in a literal tizzy of activity. It would seem that no one on staff is being spared. While no one is speaking as to the topic, the general rumor is that it involves the strange happenings with the world's children.' She paused to look behind her, briefly. 'A podium is being set up now, and it looks like there will be an announcement very shortly. No word yet as to whom will be behind the microphones, but with the plethora of security I hesitate to speculate.'

"Ten quid says that Wils does it himself," Rose said quietly.

"Done," the Doctor smiled.

The Brigadier pursed his lips. "Really now Doctor, betting on the Royals? Reports say that was what got you in trouble with them in the first place."

Jack chuckled from behind them, getting their attention. "Hence my job title."

"Royal Pain in the Arse?" Rose quipped with a grin. Looking at him, her grin fell slightly. "You all right Jack? What'd she do this time?"

His eyes widened almost imperceptively. Catching himself, Jack dove in headfirst. "She told me how you did what you did to me... I think," he frowned, looking at the air around Rose and the Doctor. "That's so weird."

The telly was forgotten and the Doctor turned to him with a look of surprise. "What do you mean? What'd she tell you?"

Jack shrugged. "It's what she showed me. I understand why you left now, Doc. Wasn't sure what you meant by 'wrong' before, but after seeing it myself," his voice trailed off and he pinched the bridge of his nose. "My head still hurts from that."

"Like looking at a quasar close up, innit?" the Doctor said with a nod. "Have to tone down my senses when you're around."

Rose's head was moving back and forth between them, confused. The Doctor looked at her and it clicked. Timelines were still hard for her to see, but she turned to Jack and tried. Almost at once, she stumbled backwards and put her hands over her eyes. "Oh my _God_."

The Doctor steadied her by the shoulder. "Turn it off," he soothed. "Just let it go to the back of your mind and let it go for now."

Rose was blinking rapidly, like she was blinded. "Wow. Four of them?"

"Five," Jack corrected, "if what she told me about not being able to see your own was accurate."

"I beg your pardon?" the Doctor said.

Jack looked nervous. "Well, in addition to both of yours... John's, River's, and Jenny's are all wrapped up in it as well."

The Doctor closed his eyes briefly, letting his senses out, then looked at him with a pained squint. Rose's was plain as day around him, but he saw John and Jenny's as well. The odd one out was somewhat familiar, and he deduced that it was River's. Jenny's was surprising, but then again the whole enigma of Jack was baffling to begin with. What confused him the most, now that he was actually looking at it, was how it seemed to be happening twice: Once around his head, and the other around his chest.

Grunting, he had to reign everything back in. Rubbing his temples, he stepped back. " _Blimey_ , you're good," he said to Rose, who smiled sheepishly at him.

The Brigadier was watching all of this silently. He understood the concept of timelines from his numerous dealings with the Doctor. However, seeing them react to Jack like he was the torch to end all torches had him confused. "This is one of the few times that I'm grateful for my ignorance," he mused.

While Rose gave Jack a tearful hug, the Doctor tried to explain... both to the Brigadier as well as to himself. "Timelines are fragile and exceedingly strong all at the same time. Galaxies have their own timeline, as do stars and the planets that orbit them. Each of us has our own personal timeline that interweaves with everyone else's in a tapestry of time that propels the universe forward. In Jack's case, he has five others wrapped around his in a sort of fourth dimensional knot, like strings of a marionette. Only unlike the puppet, the strings react to what you do. It's just that his is wrapped up with ours. Annnnnd... I don't know what that means." He scratched his head and pouted.

The Brigadier nodded absently, only half understanding what the Doctor said. Mostly, it was a reflex from having to deal with his over the top explanations through the years. However, seeing as Captain Harkness was immortal, a bit more than half of that was understood. "So it's like shoring up the battle lines with reinforcements so that the front doesn't break?"

The Doctor's eyes popped open and he pointed at him. "Exactly! Oooh, that's a good analogy. I'll have to remember that one."

Meanwhile, Rose was clinging to Jack's neck. "I'm so sorry," she lamented.

"Oh stop it already," Jack said. "I told you I forgive you."

Swallowing, she dropped her voice to a hush. "I saw Jenny's timeline wrapped around yours. I know what she felt when she first _really_ saw you. I just wanted you to know that I'm not mad, but if you hurt her..." her voice dropped to a growl, " _I'll rip your bollocks off_." She pulled back to look him in the eye with a smile. "Clear?"

Jack was completely unnerved. "Crystal."

* * *

Dekker led John and Ianto into the sub basement storage. Flipping the light on, he smiled when Ianto gaped at what he was seeing, then beamed when he turned to glare at him. "What?" he asked innocently.

"How the bloody hell did you get a hold of all this?" Ianto half shouted. "I thought Jack was able to confiscate everything?"

John turned to the both of them. "What? What's the matter?"

Ianto's arm went out in a wide arc. "All of this is from Torchwood One!" he complained loudly.

"That it is," Dekker said with a hawk like grin. "Your Captain Jack was a bit slow in getting to Canary Warf, so I had the pleasure of nicking this lot."

 

* * *

## *Chapter 17*: Annoyances and Surprises

* * *

He wanted to kill him. Simply use his fist and wipe that smile off that daft old smirking face of a git that he was coming to loathe. He wanted to, and finally understood why Jack despised him so much. Dekker infuriated him with his arrogance, and he wanted to take the goit down several pegs. However, before he could, Ianto found that there was a hand in his vision.

"Time out," John said. "I don't personally care what's going on here between you two, but we need to focus. So to your corners... got it?" Ianto was about to protest when the flat hand changed to a finger at his mouth. "Stop it. Argue later, organize now, right?"

Only after Ianto nodded did John turn to Dekker. "Right, Mister Smarm. Manifest; preferably with photographs since you lot always mislabel everything."

Paul Dekker gave Ianto Jones a more than cheeky wink, then steered the Doctor's brother towards a computer terminal. "That's not a proper word, John."

"What word?" he asked as he sat at the computer.

Dekker rolled his eyes. "Smarm. It's smarmy, you git."

"Oh fine. The smarmy army of smelly old farts. How's that, then?" John said, fully annoyed now.

Ianto snorted while Dekker scowled.

A few minutes of searching through the database, and John shot out of the chair. Three aisles over and half in, he yanked a drawer out to pull the objects he saw on the screen. The other two caught up to him just staring at the one in his right hand in profound shock, before turning to them with a look of pure madness. "Where in the _fuck_ did you get this!" he demanded at full volume, holding it up.

Ianto smirked when an acrid, methane like smell emanated from Dekker. The elderly man stuttered like he was stuck in a wall socket before he finally got it out. "Y-Y-Y-Yvonne Hartman's safe!"

John's head went back, thundering. "The queen bitch that started the cyber-ghost fiasco?" Dekker nodded, and John inhaled sharply before blowing out a large lungful of air. "Fine. She's dead, so there's no point in it. Twonky blonde cunt."

Ianto backed up from the verbal assault on his ears. "Whoa..."

"Sorry. It's her fault that my brother and sister-in-law were separated for years, and I'm still pissed that I couldn't do anything about it after the fact. Then there's this..." John trailed off, staring at the thing in his hand again.

* * *

The Doctor was about to ask about Jack's loss of colour, when John's voice shot through he and his wife's minds. _'Brother, you really need to see this.'_

_'What?'_ he asked and an image of two pendants came across. One was a silvered and gold mix wrapped asynchronously around a light green gem, and the other was a golden laced heart with a large faceted purple gem in the centre of it. _'Is that the Firestone?'_ the Doctor asked, somewhat alarmed.

_'You alright?'_ Rose asked, sensing more than a simple pang from John. If anything, he was infuriated.

_'Yes, to both questions,'_ John grumbled. _'This on the other hand,'_ he held the greenish one up slightly so they could see better, _'is an Arcateenian Psidant.'_

"Ohhhh, brilliant," the Doctor said in a hush.

The Brigadier looked at him quizzically, "What is?"

Smiling ear to ear, the Doctor turned to him. "My brother just found a couple of things that will help put us on the same playing field as the Macra." He focused on John again. _'Are the plans finished?'_

_'Yeah, good to go.'_

The Doctor smiled and turned to the Brigadier. "Right then, get your worker bees on these blueprints and tell them to follow through on building our adjusted cell. It's very important to stress to them in not mucking it up." He snatched the papers from the stand and flipped to the last page. "Especially these bits, right here," he pointed.

The Brigadier nodded and fetched his radio. "Quite." _  
_

* * *

With things explained and plans within plans elaborated, there was naught to do but let the damned thing be built. The Doctor and John both oversaw the construction initially, but were shooed away by the Brigadier when they became more of a hindrance than helpful. And, that was shooed with a metaphorical boot, mind you.

They only left because of the announcement on the telly, not because they were scolded. No, never that. As soon as the speaker at the podium started, Rose begrudgingly pulled two five pound notes out of her pocket for her husband. Instead of Prince William, it was some public relations nobody that announced the 'retirement' of Prime Minister Brian Green for 'health reasons'.

When the question was asked as to whom would be in charge of the government in the interim, Rose snatched the quid back and held out her hand for more... smirking rather smugly. It was only after the Prince began speaking that the Doctor went for his wallet. _'How did you know?'_ he asked as he handed over a ten pound note. She just wiggled her eyebrows and placed the quid in her bra. The Doctor filed that bit of luridness away for now, and decided he'd go fishing for them later.

* * *

Gwen felt the need to touch base with Rhys, and was impressed when the lighting of the ship led her to a sitting room. She found him kicked back in a brown recliner, watching the wall. Jenny was asking him questions from the couch about what they were watching. When she saw that the entire wall was a television screen, she balked with blinking eyes. "Oh my God, you'll never be rid of him now."

"Hey you," Rhys said, looking over his shoulder. "Have you ever seen a bigger screen in all your life?" Gwen just shook her head and tried not to smile. "Been telling Jenny here about the Royals."

Jenny looked over at her and smiled. "Too bad that one's got a girlfriend. He's gorgeous."

Smirking, Gwen shook her head. "You and half the country wants a piece of that, love. So, what's the word there?" she asked, waving her hand at the screen as she sat on the armrest, next to her husband.

"Looks like Wills is going to be running things till they figure out who's up for election," Rhys said. "And my backside if it's health reasons. That doesn't cover everyone at the bleedin' Ten."

Laughing now, Gwen kissed the top of his head. "Oh they'll buy it. Tell a whopper with just enough truth to make it believable, and they'll swallow it whole. I mean, just look at all the alien business that everyone chalks up to hallucinogens or some other rubbish."

Rhys rolled his eyes. "What's it like out there?"

Gwen pursed her lips. "Don't understand half of it, but it looks like the twins redid the blueprints that the Macra sent to turn it into a jail cell or something."

Rhys looked worried. "Wont that just piss it off?"

"Kinda the idea there," Jenny said. "Put the prat in defensive mode while they argue." She huffed a bit. "Don't mind telling you that I wish they'd just off that damned thing, but dad wants to negotiate first."

They looked at her in sympathy. While Rhys only saw a part of what she went through, Gwen told him about the previous night before they had their row over the baby. That thought made Gwen place her hand on her stomach. She still couldn't believe that the government gave up twelve children... well, eleven... but still. It was completely appalling.

Noticing Gwen's concerned look at her own stomach, Jenny had an idea. "You want to know what sex it is?"

Gwen popped her head up to stare at her with big eyes, but Rhys beat her to speaking. "I think we need to wait a month or so before that can happen, love."

Jenny shook her head, grinning. "Can tell you right now, if you want. Just need to go to the infirmary and scan the wee one."

They looked at each other and had a bit of silent communication, which fascinated Jenny because humans weren't telepathic. It seemed that just a few head twitches and glances to her, but they turned around and nodded. "Right then," Jenny said with a smile, standing up. "Alonz-y!"

After leading them to the infirmary, Jenny rummaged in one of the cabinets. "This isn't going to hurt, is it?" Gwen asked.

She looked over at them and smiled. "Oh, no." She held up something that had a small screen on it with a pair of stubby prongs sticking up out of the top of it. "This thing just looks inside like one of your magnetic resonance machines. But unlike that huge contraption, this can actually scan DNA at the same time. Don't worry. Doesn't wound, doesn't maim. Just looks. You don't even have to lie down or anything."

Gwen stood there, only slightly apprehensive when she came over and simply held the thing at her lower belly. Looking up at her from under her brow, she saw Jenny smile in surprise. "What?"

"Speaking of twins..." Jenny said, "Fraternal. Boy and a girl. Congratulations!" she said with a giggle.

Rhys took that moment to find the floor with his bum. "Bloody... hell."

Gwen had half a mind to join him. She gaped at Jenny. "Two?"

"Yup!" She couldn't help herself, and patted Gwen's tummy. "You two be nice to them, hear me?"

It took Gwen a moment to realize that she was speaking to the barely formed little ones. Once she did though, she started laughing a bit hysterically and grabbed Jenny up in a hug. "Oh, I love you. You're completely adorable!"

While they were hugging, Rose skidded to a stop at the door. "Twins?" she asked, looking completely thrilled.

"I know!" Gwen shouted.

* * *

 

## *Chapter 18*: The Lull Before the Storm

* * *

Mitigated chaos was the rule of thumb this afternoon. The Brigadier took charge of managing all the different personnel that were allowed access to the room, and delegated the rest of the building's security to Colonel Oduya. Having been relieved of duty until the current situation was resolved, Frobisher was placed under house arrest under the guise of a protection detail.

Jenny served as a go between for most of the day, or at the very least a point of calm. Drafting Rhys and Ianto into it, the trio ran refreshments and nibbles along with a helping of common sense when people got frustrated. And that included everyone along with Unit personnel that were in the room. Her cheery disposition made things a lot easier on everyone.

While the three of them were in the TARDIS kitchen with prep for dinner, Jenny had another round. The only saving grace for the kettle was that it wasn't something that shattered easily. It bounced off the floor with a sloshing of tea when Jenny grabbed her temples in pain. "I'm getting sick of this!" she shouted over the noise in her head.

Ianto was next to her when this happened, and she latched onto him out of reflex... much to his surprise. "Easy there. They at it again, I take it?" Rhys came over at that point and put a hand on her shoulder in simple support.

"Yes!" she shouted into the shoulder of his blazer. It was pointless, but she tried to hide anyway. Coming to herself, she pulled the Firestone out of her pocket and held it close to her head.

The purple glow took Ianto by surprise as he held her. "Is it supposed to do that?" He wasn't sure which was stranger, holding on to what surmounted as competition for Jack's affections or the striations of light coming from said woman's fist.

"Recording the frequency," she explained. A few seconds later the glow died off, and she slumped into him. "He loves you. You know that, right?" she murmured softly.

A small grin went over Ianto's face. That word was one that never crossed either of their lips in their crazed relationship, but it was rather nice hearing it. "Not in so many words, but I've been hoping as such, yes."

"He does, and it's all right. I won't get in your way," she sniffed and wiped her eyes, from both the pain and what she just came to realize. "He's too lonely to fight over. As much as I want to, I won't. You're a good man and I'd be a terrible person to get in the way, so I won't." Looking up at him from his shoulder, she grabbed the side of his face and planted a light kiss on his lips. She grinned then and stepped away.

Rhys wasn't sure how to take this, since he was certain Jack was gay, so he did something unusual and kept his mouth shut. Instead, he made himself useful and retrieved the kettle to put back on the burner, after making sure there was enough water in it. Ianto came out of his stunned silence and picked up where he left off with the coffee.

* * *

It was ten in the evening when the majority of the cell was completed. Four Time Lords with four sonic screwdrivers were inside it with the final adjustments. The Doctor took ten minutes to inspect the work before they went into the final preparations. "Right. This should be relatively easy, but I want to make sure that everyone is on the same page with this."

It took only two seconds for the four of them to get caught up with each other. One in each corner, they had their sonics on the 'bits that mustn't be messed up' and went through the final adjustments.

"Dad?" Jenny started, completely on a different subject than what was in front of her. "Why do humans always seem to want to claim property ownership in relationships? It doesn't make any sense."

The Doctor looked up from his work to glance at Rose, then waved her through for the explanations. Rose pursed her lips in annoyance, then answered. "Honey, it's ingrained in our thought processes as much of an instinct than anything else. Why the interest? It's not like it's solely a human trait. Your father and I are only interested in each other. Are you worried about someone else moving in on us, or is this about Jack?"

Jenny's mouth rather small from the question, she looked for a way out of that. John smirked at her discomfort. "Someone has a crush on the heart-breaker, doesn't she?"

"Not just him. Ianto's rather dishy too," Jenny said quietly, slightly flushed and embarrassed.

Rose snorted, then laughed like a house on fire. John just stared at Jenny with a look of shock, while the Doctor groaned. "Jenny, please don't. Jack will do nothing except cause you a lot of pain."

She looked at her father and countered, "I know that. But he's as alone as you were when I first knew you on Messaline. I want to make him feel like you do now with mum: Happy and relaxed with everything."

"Relaxed?" the Doctor said rather loudly, standing up to turn and face her. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to let any of you out of the TARDIS at all?"

Rose stood up with that declaration, then turned to look at her husband. Pursing her lips, she held up her lavender sonic and buzzed him ineffectually, waving it at his face. "Can take care of myself, thanks. Mine's done by the way."

"Mine too," John said, getting out of his crouch. "And as warming as it is to hear how much you care for us all, I don't think we'd do too well just nattering on in the confines of the TARDIS for eternity." He stepped over and lightly popped the Doctor on the shoulder. "Going to have to put up with us in the real world, mate."

"Oh, stuff it," the Doctor muttered. "Jenny, you done?" She stood with a nod, then joined them in the middle. Sighing, the Doctor did something completely unusual and out of character: He spoke his feelings. "Just so you know, I love each of you deeply. I've never had this before in any incarnation and it scares the pants off me, the thought of losing it. Put up with my nutters and I'll put up with yours. Right?"

John grinned and poked him in the chest. "Someone needs to pull back from their pair bond link. I do believe the old boy just said something nice to everyone all at once. Must be the lovely hormones there, yeah?" That got a glare from the Doctor and a snicker from the girls. "Don't look at me like that. I'm the one that's done all the research, so don't blame me for knowing something you don't. If you'd like to know the reading instead of the practical application, all you need to do is ask since the material is in my room. Or, we could forgo that lot and go for direct transfer."

Rose perked at that, then beat the Doctor with the answer. Gripping John's shoulder, she was a bit forceful with her demand. "Show us. I don't like being in the dark with this."

Glancing at Jenny briefly, she and John tapped into them both so that she'd get the information at the same time. Jenny, Rose, and the Doctor then blinked rapidly as five volumes on the subject of Gallifreyan procreation flooded into their memories. "Blimey," she said quietly, "that's... complicated."

Rose frowned and looked at her daughter. "Not exactly the way I wanted the birds and bees talk to go, but yeah. Not sure I wanted to know all that." Her hands went to her stomach with the thought that the next while stuck in the TARDIS wasn't that bad of an idea. Then she realized something. "Eleven months? Bloody hell!"

The Doctor took her hand. "Could be as few as nine. I mean, I was in the loo for a while already and that bit only comes after so long."

John frowned. "I didn't even think of that," he said as his hand came up to rub the back of his neck.

"This is your fault," Rose scowled at the Doctor.

"Regardless," Jenny said with a smile, "Dad seems to like snapping up all the bad symptoms it generates."

"Still his fault," Rose glowered. "S'not like he has to lug around a belly for that long."

Jenny flicked her mother's shoulder with a finger. "You don't either. Bout half that, so five months of bigger clothes. Not too bad, right? Besides, what with Gwen having two, you can poke fun at her if you want."

Rose eyed her from the side and grinned. "Get outta my head. Was just thinking that."

* * *

"I hate waiting," Mickey blurted. He and Martha were cuddled up on one of the couches in the 'den' or 'media' room in the TARDIS. They were the only two of the Torchwood team still up and about, and were watching all the different news channels. While regular life was still going on, references to the children and Great Britain's politics kept popping up.

"Oh I dunno," Rose said from the other couch. She was busy cuddling with the Doctor. "There's worse ways to spend the time." She wriggled herself closer and got comfy. "So when are you two going to tie the knot anyway? There's a godchild I want to meet," she teased. The Doctor smirked, but kept to himself.

Martha grumbled and hid her face in Mickey's shoulder. "When are people gonna leave us alone with that?" she mumbled. She looked up and over at the blond across the coffee table, and found that they were almost perfect mirrors of each other. "If it happens, it happens. I just don't want to speed things up simply because people keep pestering us."

Mickey looked down at her. "You're talking about kids, right? Thought we were going to do the other next month."

"Only if mum gets that stick out of her backside," Martha grumbled. "Honestly, this is about us. I don't understand why she wants to be the center of attention all the time."

"She's your mother," the Doctor said quietly. "Francine wouldn't be satisfied unless everyone's miserable." Rose popped his chest with a flat hand and a 'Rude again'.

Martha chuckled. "He's got a point though. She did the same with my brother. Tish gets all sorts of hell from not having a boyfriend, then Dad with his acts of rebellion." Sighing, she lamented, "Mum's mental."

Grinning ear to ear, Mickey tapped the top of her head to get her attention. "Pay up."

Martha winced. "Bugger.

* * *

 

## *Chapter 19*: Day Three

* * *

After most everyone was asleep, four Time Lords went through final preparations for most of the night - with Jack joining them at around two in the morning. Triple and quadruple checks were done before they filled the chamber with Macran Atmosphere.

Both the Doctor and John pointedly ignored Jenny gravitating towards Jack throughout all of this, and Rose had the sense to hide her smirk over the whole thing. If anything, she hoped Jenny would curtail some of Jack's more... _libidinous_ tendencies, shall we say? Doubtful sure, but still it was a small hope. However, just seeing Jack's somewhat fearful expressions and, _good lord_ , outright _embarrassment_ was well worth it. The Doctor made a point to ignore even _her_ on that as well. Jack's karma be damned, but he didn't want to think about it.

Something occurred to Rose though, and she took the chance to make the situation even more hysterical. "So, Jack. What's with the 'Doctor-Look-a-Like Boy-Toy'... sideburns and everything?" Three men's heads snapped up and at her with such matching expressions of complete and total alarm that she couldn't help herself, and cackled like mad.

John took that moment to swear vehemently and hid his eyes with a hand; The Doctor turned his wide eyed shock from Rose to Jack; and Jenny started snickering.

"He's not... Ianto..." Jack stuttered. "It's not like that!"

Jenny smile split her face. "Oh, it _so_ is!" she goaded, joining Rose in laughing her arse off. If anything, her mother nailed it on the proverbial head what with the completely mortified emotions that Jack was radiating from that question.

Jack glared at her. "Will you _stop_ that?" he complained with a voice that went up a few octaves.

"Abso- _lute_ -ly not," Jenny sing songed. "It's too much fun, and you're a complete doll all red-faced."

John looked over at him. "Welcome to my world, Jack. But, thank you in not hounding me at any rate."

Completely exasperated, Jack waved an arm over at the containment cell. "Is that thing done yet?" he barked. Sure, he was changing the subject, but God if that one didn't need to be buried under several thousand feet of concrete!

"Ahem, yes," the Doctor choked out, grateful for the swap in subjects. "Completely finished. All we need to do now is wait for the Macran 'ambassador' to show up." Glancing at Rose, he thought to her, _'I am_ so _getting even for that, I'm not joking either.'_

_'You love it,'_ she replied with a smile. _'Got them out of thinking about each other, didn't it?'_

_'NOT HELPING!'_ he groused, making her snort again.

* * *

Much like yesterday, everyone was around the breakfast table in the TARDIS kitchen. However, the Brigadier joined them this morning and ended up sitting between the twins. "I must say Doctor, I haven't had a proper English Breakfast in a dog's age," he said with a genuine smile on his face.

Most of breakfast was spent catching the Brig up on personal doings. Most notably, the state of Gwen and Rose's pregnancies; the fact that Rose was a Time Lord and how that happened, including what happened to Jack; then how Jenny came to be. Mickey took that time to actually listen for once and keep his gob shut. His look of surprise at everything got Martha to squeeze his knee in sympathy.

Then Jenny did something _completely stupid_ and pointed out how much Ianto looked like her dad.

Things went downhill from there... on greased rails. Gwen glared at Jack with a 'you bastard' look, while Martha's was 'why the hell didn't I see that?'; Mickey just laughed, shaking his head; Rhys found his breakfast _most_ fascinating; Rose smacked Jenny's leg rather hard with her fist; and... Ianto exploded out of the room, with Jack chasing after him.

"Oops," was all Jenny could mutter, while staring at her empty plate. She was completely mortified at what just happened.

"Quite," the Brigadier said with a look of sympathy, doing his best not to chuckle when the girl shot out of her chair to run after them.

* * *

Jenny was running through the console room with her mother hot on her heels, when they both heard Ianto yelling 'Fuck off!' and hearing a pop and a crumple. They came out to see Jack on the floor with Ianto shaking his hand somewhat above him. They popped twin wide eyed stares as Ianto went into a rant.

"That's all I was, wasn't I? Nothing but a quick shag to get your mind off someone else, wasn't it?" he shouted.

Jack got up from the floor while rubbing his jaw. "It's not _like_ that, Yan."

"The _fuck_ it's not!" Ianto interrupted. "Three years of putting up with your 'The Right Kind of Doctor' bollocks! You thinking office locations are _sexy_ , not to mention you getting all sorts of randy when I got that pin striped suit! Fuck you, I'm done!" He stormed out of the room.

"Yan wait!" Jack yelled, going after him.

Ianto could be heard yelling from the hallway, 'I _QUIT_!'

Jenny had a look of horror on her face. Cupping her mouth and nose with both hands, she mumbled. "By all the stars, what have I done?" Rose put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into a hug. _'Nothing that he hasn't done to himself before, love,'_ she thought to her. _'Still though, it's one thing to tease... another to do it when others are listening. Learn your lesson here, swee'hear'?'_ Jenny could only nod as she shook in her mother's embrace, coming completely unglued.

* * *

Ianto took a taxi to the train station after decking Jack again. On the way to Cardiff he got into a rather philosophical debate on relationships with a young lady he met, who happened to be sitting next to him when he'd sat down in a huff.

It was weird, but the woman reminded him of someone. There was that _Rhea Silva_ secured file that he glanced at once. Looked like _that_ woman, actually. Maybe a younger sister? He decided it had to have been the smile. Over the course of the trip, she'd convinced him not to quit his job.

When they got to Cardiff he got up, only to be stopped briefly with a simple and gentle 'Call her' from his new acquaintance. 'Who?' he replied. 'Tish' she said with a brief twinkling smile. Even though he didn't remember mentioning her, Tish _was more_ than adorable. She was flat out _gorgeous_ as far as he was concerned. And, it would completely annoy both Jack and Martha to no end. He ended up smirking at her as he left.

Ianto didn't notice the woman crackle out of existence just as he stepped off the train, a new smile plastered on his face. Chuckling to himself, he pulled out his mobile as he flagged a taxi with a shout.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Thames House, the Prince had come to investigate things. Jenny had made herself scarce in the TARDIS after the breakfast fiasco, and Jack was busy with simply being elsewhere... Namely, the loo, hiding. Martha, Gwen, and Mickey were manning the computer stations, and the Brigadier made short work of introductions before the Doctor took over the explanations.

For the most part, William was rather pleased with the progress that had been made. However, he was deeply annoyed when it was pointed out that this was the absolute _last place_ a Royal should be when they received their alien 'ambassador'. Compromising, they set up video and audio feeds to both the Ten as well as Buckingham Palace.

* * *

"Jack?" John's voice called out. Stepping into the men's restroom, he found him bent over a sink. It looked like he'd been trying to wash the morning's catastrophe away by splashing his face repeatedly. "Jack?" he tried again.

Looking up from the running faucet, John saw the complete look of devastation on Jack's face through the mirror. "He was right," he flatly stated in a monotone.

Jack felt John's hand on his shoulder. "Jack," he prompted again, quietly. "Look at me." Jack flicked his eyes up to his through the mirror. "You know that can never happen, right? Pair bonding is quite literally the absorption of two lives into one. Three is so beyond rare, that it borders on the completely implausible. We're not human, Jack. Even though Rose was before, she's not now. However, that doesn't mean you're not family."

Dropping his head back down, Jack sighed and shuddered. "I know," he rasped. "I just want what they have; what you're going to have." His shoulders started shaking at this point. "I've lived too long," his voice cracked, and his shuddering became vibrating. "I don't want to be _alone_ anymore! Everyone dies!" he barked.

John spun him around and held Jack's head to his chest, letting the man cry. Out of everyone, John and his brother knew this feeling all too well. Jack clutched him tightly around his middle and finally let go of decades of anguish. "I've got you, son. I've got you," John soothed.

* * *

At the same time in the TARDIS, Rose was doing much the same with Jenny. While she didn't understand just how much Jenny could hear and feel, when she came completely undone and dissolved into sobbing she somehow knew Jack was falling apart as well. _'Oh my God! What did I do?'_ Jenny screamed into her mind, making her reel from the emotional onslaught.

Looking up to the ceiling of Jenny's room, she thought to the Doctor, _'Theta! Check on Jack! Now!'_

_'John's got him,'_ her husband replied. _'This is a disaster! We need them both for this!'_

_'We'll make due,'_ John cut in on them at that moment. _'Jack's coming with us when this is over, and that's final.'_ Once John relayed what Jack said verbatim, it took less than a second for the pair of them to agree with that assessment. Rose was mortified from what she heard, and completely blamed herself.

* * *

## *Chapter 20*: Of Broken Hearts and Mindful Friends

* * *

Ianto Jones sat in a restaurant that he'd never set foot in before. It wasn't that he'd never heard of it. His job had him constantly reviewing they layout of Cardiff, the businesses, and pretty much everything that had to do with the city in general. In fact, he was sure he could walk the streets blindfolded if he had the inclination. Aliens popped up damn near anywhere they put their minds to, and if something new showed up where it wasn't supposed to be Ianto would usually be the first one to notice it.

No, he wasn't here because he was lost. He was here because he was lost _and_ this wasn't a place that he and Jack had been to together. His first instinct was to get insanely pissed, but the more practical side of him realized that the drug that John gave him to make him sober was probably still in his system... waiting to make him wretch if he even thought about that. So, what's a bloke to do then but sit there morosely with a ginger beer?

"Copper for your thoughts?" a sweet voice said from over his shoulder. He glanced back, and the owner of said voice put a hand on his shoulder. "Ohmigod, what happened? You all right? Martha and Mick okay?"

A wan smile came over his face when Tish sat down at the table. "It's not like that, they're fine." The song coming from the commercial MP3 player in the corner changed to Adele's 'Rolling in the Deep' and Ianto rolled his eyes. "Oh, now that is just _per_ fect," he drolled and sat back in his chair, staring at the ceiling.

Tish glanced in the direction of the music and paused until she recognized it. Realizing, a scathing frown crossed her face and she turned back to him, taking his hand. "What the _hell_ did that man do to you?" she demanded.

* * *

Mickey found that he had nothing to do, his work being done the previous evening. With everyone else somewhat occupied, he took it upon himself to try to find Jenny. She'd disappeared into the corridors of the TARDIS not too long after the morning's disaster, with a flurry of her pony tail and trailing tears after her. Thinking about what the TARDIS told him about the kids that he and Martha were going to have; what Rose would be to them; the reciprocating guardianship that would be given to him and his fiancé with her and the Doctor's... Well, he was going to get a jump start on that.

Coming into the kitchen, he found Rhys washing up. "Blimey, look at you all domestic and everything. It's like you live here already."

Looking over his shoulder, Rhys grinned at him. "Someone's gotta clean up after that lot. Might as well be me, since they're all doing what needs to be done."

Mickey chuckled. "Seen Jenny about?"

"Nope," Rhys shook his head. "Doubt she wants to be around people right now, though."

Mickey leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. "Yeah. Still, someone needs to talk to her."

"Wouldn't go there," Rhys muttered, drying a dish and setting it aside. "She's a real sweetheart, I know. But, there's things that us blokes wont ever understand. Might do more harm than good if you pestered her over it right now."

Mickey shook his head. "Nah, if she's like her mother at all, she needs a rant at someone."

There was a clink of a plate being set back in the sink, and Rhys turned to look at him. "This ship's alive, right?" Mickey nodded. "Moves things about, had you in a circle all night one time, yeah?"

"Yeah, so? Used to do that whenever I'd piss Rose or the Doctor off. Being an idiot, I did that a lot."

Rhys crossed his arms and gave him a dry look. "So what makes you think you can find her now? Girl wants to be alone, and the ship'll do whatever he thinks it takes to make sure she gets it, yeah?"

"She," Mickey corrected. "And you're right," he sighed.

Rhys grinned. "Usually am when it comes to doing the right thing with the fairer sex. Done too much in the wrong way until I figured it out." He paused, tilting his head. "And what'd you mean, 'she'?"

Mickey sighed when he figured that he was right. "Yeah. Don't like letting things fester though. I'm for having it out and over with. And, the TARDIS is female."

"She is?" Rhys' eyebrows went up. He looked around and said to the air, "Sorry 'bout that, but it isn't like you got a set of tits for me to tell the difference, do ya?" There was a high pitched warbling and a rather weird sensation buzzing around his chest. "What was that?"

Snickering, Mickey looked up from the floor. "That was her laughing at you, and saying you're forgiven for being an idiot."

Rhys blanched. "You understood all that?"

"Don't have to," Mickey said through his grin. "Used to get that one all the time when I was with them. The Doc told me what it meant."

"Ah," Rhys nodded. "So, now that we've decided that Jenny's best on her own for a bit, wanna help me wash up?" He pointed to the sink.

Coming up next to him, Mickey grabbed a sponge. "You do know she can do this herself, yeah?"

Rhys gave him a somewhat shocked and fearful look. "You just told me the ship's female and suggested that we not clean up after ourselves. What are you, daft?" The lights in the room nearly went out. "Whoop. Power cut?"

Someone spun him around, and Rhys saw a rather attractive lady in a red dress. Her hands grasped the sides of his head, and she planted a brief kiss on his lips. Slightly stunned by this, Rhys could only gape. The lady then smiled and laughed before vanishing.

When the lights came back up, Rhys looked at Mickey. "You saw that, right?"

Snickering, Mickey grabbed a dish and started scrubbing. "You just made the TARDIS insanely happy with that, mate."

Taking it in stride, Rhys smiled and wagged a finger at the ceiling. "I am married, you know?" More light warbling came from the walls, and he chuckled. Turning around, he saw that there was more dish soap and quite a few more sponges than were there before.

* * *

The Doctor was staring at the not quite glass box, arms crossed, and with a slight scowl on his face. He noticed someone come up beside him, and he shifted to put his hands in his pockets.

"You haven't told me your plan yet. Should I be worried?" the Brigadier asked.

The Doctor looked to him and smiled. "Nah, what's the point in laying it all out? Something's bound to make us shift to Plan B, but I'm not willing to risk that just yet."

"That doesn't exactly fill me with confidence, Doctor. What's the wild card in this mess? There always is one."

The Doctor sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "There's every chance that there will be a fifty five year old child involved. And, I don't mind saying that will be all sorts of problems. Can you imagine being as old as you are and still helpless?"

The Brigadier flinched. "No. What a horrid concept."

"Exactly."

Looking over to the Doctor, the Brigadier came to his rescue. "You wont have to do it, I promise."

The Doctor deflated as a huge breath of air came out of his lungs. "Thank you," he said quietly. "Don't think I could, even if I wanted to."

"Do what?"

Both men flinched as Rose came to the other side of the Doctor and took his hand. One look at her husband was all it took, and her eyes started watering. "Oh, no." She instantly wrapped her arms around him.

The Brigadier looked at her and shook his head. "How do you do that?"

She looked up at him from the Doctor's chest. "Do what?"

"Know exactly what's going on?" he said.

She offered him a small smile. "Joined at the hip, we are. What he knows, I do, and vice versa."

The Brigadier nodded. "I see."

"He lied by the way," she said mischievously.

"I did not," the Doctor said, knowing full well his case was lost already.

"About what?" the Brigadier asked at the same time.

Rose grinned and held the Doctor tighter. "I stole his hearts fair and square."

A smile crossed the Brigadier's face briefly, before his baritone voice echoed in honest laughter.

* * *

Gwen was the only one who noticed John and Jack coming into the room. She was still pissed at him, but her heart ached for her best friend nonetheless. She watched Jack as he strode to the TARDIS, and became slightly worried. The look of determination on his face set her on edge, and she went to head him off. He was inside the ship before she got there, and found that the door wouldn't open.

Martha turned around to see Gwen's frustration with the TARDIS. "What's the matter?"

"It wont open," she complained.

Martha came up beside her. "What were you thinking when you tried the door?"

"Was going to stop Jack from shouting at Jenny," Gwen explained. "She doesn't deserve that."

Martha pursed her lips and thought for a second. "If she wont open the door, then Jack isn't going to yell at her."

Gwen looked at her. "You didn't see his face."

* * *

 

## *Chapter 21*: Tears and Hugs

* * *

Jack left his coat over one of the coral support beams in the console room, and went through the corridors. His jaw was set and his stride was rather brisk. It took him by surprise when the TARDIS moved him to another corridor, right to where he was wanting to go. Coming to a stop next to the door, he could hear with his ears what his mind had been hearing for quite a while now. Not bothering with knocking, he opened the door and went into Jenny's room.

He paused just inside the door and noted that they had similar tastes. Jenny's room was rather Spartan, and had little in the form of decoration. The colour on the walls was a pale blue with a navy coloured carpet. Along the far wall was a bunk bed, which looked like something straight out of the army: All metal and springs. There was a roll top desk on his left, next to a door to what he assumed was her wash room. On the right, was a circular stone fireplace, complete with a burning fire and with a flue that went up through the ceiling. And the ceiling? Well, it looked holographic and had the local constellations in a display that matched the ships position on the Earth.

Looking further to the right, he found Jenny sitting on the floor in the corner. She had her knees drawn up, with her arms around them. Her hair down, he could see that it was just as long as he thought it was, going at least halfway down her back. It curtained down around her shoulders and completely hid her head, which was buried in her knees. Jenny's shoulders were shaking, and was softly crying. The sound of it was breaking him apart as well.

"I forgive you," Jack said quietly.

Startled at that statement, not from his presence, Jenny's head shot up to look at him. Her face was a complete mess of tears and makeup. "Don't you dare. I was _horrible_!" she whimpered.

He walked over to her and knelt down. "Doesn't matter. I forgive you." Jack reached up to move some hair out of her face, but she shied away. With her hair down like this, he could see Rose very plainly in her features and realized that she was even more beautiful than her mother. Something he would've thought completely impossible before. "Stop. I forgive you."

Jenny looked at him and couldn't believe that someone could forgive something so horrid. She launched herself at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm so sorry!" she nearly yelled in his ear, and started sobbing harder.

He held on while she cried, eventually joining her in her tears. "It's okay," he whispered, moving her hair out of his face. It was an awkward embrace, him on his knees and her leaning sideways, but he bore the slight pain in his kneecaps silently. Through her blubbering, he felt her start to trail kisses up his neck, saying sorry after each one. Before he knew it, she was at his lips with a salty kiss.

Jenny caught herself with a small gasp, and buried her eyes into his neck. "Oh no. I'm sorry," she said and started up again.

Jack chuffed a chuckle. "Never apologize for that, sweetheart."

"Shut up," she said, starting a mix of giggles and sobbing. "You loved him and I was... was..."

"Brutally honest?" he offered.

She nodded her head. "A complete bitch!"

"You didn't mean it like that, I know," he said. "I could hear what you meant and heard you when you realized what happened. You didn't mean for it to happen that way."

"It still happened!" she wailed. "He's nice! Ianto didn't deserve that!"

"No he didn't," he conceded. "but that was my own fault."

She pulled back and looked in his eyes. "What? How could any of that be your fault? I was the dumb one with my gob open."

"Well, you're your father's daughter in that respect. But, Rose was right to begin with, and so was Ianto when he left."

Her brow furrowed. "You want my dad?"

He shrugged. "I never had a chance. Your mum was all he ever saw. Same with her. I was late to the party and was always the third wheel."

"Sorry," she sniffed.

Jack gave a halfhearted smile. "S'alright. The world's weird, and" a series of bell tones came out of his mouth. The phrase wasn't something she expected, because it involved the TARDIS making up for his lack of a bed partner.

Jenny's head fell back with hysterical laughter. Coming back down, she stared in his eyes and hit his shoulder with the heel of her fist on each word. "You. Are. Completely. _Incorrigible!_ "

"Feel better?" he asked with a smile.

Her face twisted in emotional pain. _'I so want to kiss you.'_

_'So, what's stopping you?'_

_'Ianto.'_

_'That ship sailed.'_

_'But you're still hurting, and it's wrong.'_

_'Fifty first century.'_

Jenny's mouth quirked up into a wry grin. _'Fifty third here.'_

_'Then hush up and do it already, before I change my mind.'_

"Fat chance of that happening," she whispered just before she did what she wanted.

Jack saw stars.

_'A Gallifreyan year is nearly three Earth years,'_ Jenny told him while she discovered that he did, in fact, have something resembling tonsils. _'In case you were wondering.'_

_'Seriously?'_

_'Yep.'_

_'Fantastic!'_

The TARDIS metaphorically grinned and locked the door by removing it.

* * *

 

## *Chapter 22*: They're Here

* * *

Jack didn't know what to do with himself. Having heard everything that Jenny was going through ever since the blunder she made, he really didn't have the heart to berate her for what she'd done. However, when the consolation turned into something completely different, something changed. Instead of hearing her surface thoughts, which is what he was used to among other telepaths... _hence all the telepathic training he went through as a child to block them out_... he felt something deeper and more primal when Jenny kissed him on the lips. It was similar to when she came out of his head and he found her wrapped around him, only more so. Her baseline emotions started flitting about him and he realized that this wasn't anything like the basic lust that he'd played with for so long, even with Ianto. In an instant, he knew that she really loved him.

He was contemplating what that could possibly mean, trying not to swoon from the experience, when she became frustrated with the layers he was wearing. Jenny had his shirt undone, but ran into his white tee and growled. Jack was nearly to chuckling when he felt her nails trying to rip through the fabric. Nearly, because before she had the chance to actually tear it, she suddenly broke their kiss with a pained flinch careening through her mind and into his.

"Not now," she said under her breath. Jack watched her come apart and gritted his teeth when she grabbed his shoulders more than a bit painfully. "Dammit! Not _now_!" she screamed.

Jack put his hands on either side of her head and tried to bolster her defences. He didn't know if he was doing anything until he felt her mind latch onto his rather desperately. Something deep in his head snapped and caused his eyes to close in a squint and a rather loud grunt of pain.

* * *

Watching all of this, the TARDIS was doing the equivalent of pacing and wringing her hands together. This amounted to her running the coolant in her systems back and forth, while changing the rooms around in the sections of herself that wasn't normally occupied. She knew this was coming, knew that it was going to hurt, and it was driving her mad not being able to do anything about it.

One thing she hated above anything and everything else were fixed points in time and space. While Mars was on purpose to teach Jenny what they were, this was completely different altogether. Her precious and beloveds were a part of this one, and the only consolation she had was that she was retrieving someone that is/will be/was lost.

* * *

_'They're here!'_ Jenny wailed.

Jack grunted through the physical and mental pain. _'I know. I can feel them now. Try to calm down. I'm here,'_ he soothed. _'I'll always be here.'_

The cacophony of noise stopped rather abruptly, and a bit sooner than Jenny expected. Her eyes popped open to find that Jack's had at the same time. They both noticed that they had their fingertips on each others temples. Jenny's eyes widened at that, then Jack's did when he heard/felt what she just realized.

Blinking at each other, they mumbled 'Uh oh,' at the same time. Wonder went through them both as they felt each other in their minds. Jack's head went back suddenly as the force of Jenny's anger over the situation nearly overwhelmed him.

_'I'm gonna kill'em,'_ he heard her say in her mother's accent. _'It wasn't s'posed to 'appen this way!'_ Jack knew she wasn't mad at him when she ran her hand over the side of his face and kissed him.

_'Goddammit!'_ Jenny stood and fetched her copper coloured sonic from her pocket, instantly flicking it to extend with a metallic 'ting' of noise.

* * *

Martha was at her monitoring console when reports of the children started popping up on her screen. This was different than the other times, because all of them said that the children were pointing at the sky. "Doctor! Whatever's gonna happen is happening now!"

The Doctor, Rose, and John popped their heads around to look at her. John, the closest, went and looked over her shoulder to read. From what he could see, the children of the world were pointing directly at Great Britain. He then glanced and nodded at his brother.

"Right," the Doctor said, looking to the Brigadier. "Everyone not involved with this needs to vacate."

Turning around, the Brigadier bellowed. "Watch guards mind the doors. All non-essential personnel clear the area. This is a direct order."

While the various Unit personnel left the room, Martha hit the comm in her ear. "Mick, get out here. It's starting."

" _Tell me about it,"_ he replied. _"Nearly got run over in here. Jenny and Jack are on the warpath."_

The TARDIS doors slammed open and Jenny stormed out. The noise caused Gwen and Martha to jump and turn. Jenny was halfway across the room when Jack came out after her, minus his coat, with hard clomping steps of his feet.

They glanced at each other, then Mickey was out and heading to their corner. Gwen reached him first and took him by the arm. "He didn't yell at her, did he?"

Mickey shrugged. "Didn't even know he was in the TARDIS till he and Jenny nearly knocked me over on their way out." He looked at his fiancée. "Her eyes are doing that glowy thing."

Whipping her head around, Martha stared after her with concern.

* * *

The TARDIS door bang got everyone else's attention in the room, and John was the first to notice Jenny coming their way. His eyes widened when he saw the wild look in her bright green glowing eyes. _'What happened?'_ he asked her. She glanced at him, but didn't say anything.

Rose stiffened when she felt her daughter's wrath coming up behind her. Turning around, she was as surprised as everyone else when she saw her eyes. "Swee'hear' what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Jenny mumbled. Looking at her dad, she spoke up. "Give them their ultimatum so we can end this," she demanded. Almost as an after thought, she tossed the Firestone to him as she went past to the left back corner of the cell.

The Doctor caught the jewellery and looked between his daughter and Jack, seeing their matching expressions of anger. Since everything about the Macra caused her pain, he simply nodded. "It'll be all right," he said to her. "Just stick to the plan, right?" He frowned when she didn't look at him, staring at the bottom corner of the cell and the device that she was in charge of instead.

With a look from the Doctor, Rose went to her position on the opposite side of the cell from Jenny. John stepped up on his left and Jack did the same, coming between them while fetching the other pendant from his pocket.

_'Remember to speak aloud for the Queen's benefit,'_ the Doctor told his family. They all nodded, including Jack. Since he had the Psidant, none of them noticed the discrepancy.

In the back, the Brigadier placed a hand on Mickey's shoulder. "Turn on the cameras, if you please." Mickey nodded and absently flipped both switches.

Almost as soon as the cameras were on, fiery light filled the room. Everyone turned to look at the cell and saw something like liquid fire come through the ceiling and enter the cell with a roaring of noise.

The light died away and all was quiet in the room for a few seconds. When the Doctor noticed movement through the smoke, discerning what they saw previously in his daughter's mind through it, he spoke one word very quietly. "Now."

* * *

 

## *Chapter 23*: Aggressive Negotiations

* * *

The Doctor pointed his sonic at the bottom corner on the right, while John did the same on the left. Jenny and Rose lifted theirs at their corners. The sound of four sonics filled the room just before there was a rather bright quadruple blue flash from inside the cell, followed by several small pops. The smoke flashed inside with the sparking pops and highlighted the Macra.

The reaction was immediate. Snarling squeals penetrated the glass, and green liquid hit three separate sections in the front. Something thumped the glass wall at the same time, causing the guards and the people in the back to flinch. The five surrounding the cell didn't though, fully expecting this reaction.

'What is the meaning of this?' a deep voice bellowed from some speakers that were hooked to the cell.

"Oh, I would think the meaning was very clear," John said quietly with a glower. "Not nice to abuse our adopted home world."

The Doctor nodded. "You're exploitation of this class five planet ends... _today_."

More bangs and spewing of green liquid followed that pronouncement. 'You do not have the authority! This world is ours!'

The Doctor took a step forward. "I have _every_ authority!" he bellowed. "It _ends_ with _me_!"

Jenny stepped to the front and stared into the cell, watching the thrashing inside and reaching out with her mind. _'You were right, dad.'_ Speaking up, she shouted at the corner on the far side of the room. "Martha, Mickey: Infirmary. Patient incoming!"

Martha bolted out of her chair and ran inside the TARDIS with Mickey not two steps behind her.

The thrashing inside died down. 'You cannot do this. They capitulated before. They will do so again.'

"Like hell," Rose muttered.

"Not in the cards," the Doctor stated flatly.

Jack reached up to his ear and nudged the Doctor, nodding.

"Like so," the Doctor said, giving Rose the mental go ahead. She tilted her head back and closed her eyes, connecting with the TARDIS.

A golden flash came from inside the cell. This caused the Macra to bang into the plexiplate glass harder, shrieking both aloud and mentally. 'No! She was the last!'

"Sorry," the Doctor said quietly, infuriated over that statement. The thought of ten children's horrific death as involuntary chemical and hormonal donors caused his eyes to darken. "You don't get to keep a sentient being captive while we negotiate."

There was a pregnant pause, and it looked like the Macra was trying something. When whatever it was failed, it launched itself at the glass with a loud bang. 'What have you done to my equipment!' it demanded.

John grinned. "Shorted that lot out with a coordinated electromagnetic pulse. Sorry mate, but you're cut off... from _everything_."

It roared again, and a triple blast of mental energy came out to hit the Doctor, Jack, and John respectively and simultaneously. Of the three, Jack was forced backwards a step. The Psidant slipped from his grip and fell to the floor with his yell of pain.

Rose bolted around from the side of the cell, only to find that Jenny beat her to Jack. She paused and put a hand over her mouth. Suspecting, but not having any evidence yet, she went and nudged her to the side a bit. Then, with a quick look at each other, they placed a hand on two men each. Jenny with John and Jack, and Rose with Jack and the Doctor. After they were in place, they joined them in the mental war that was starting.

* * *

This mental plane was different. Instead of a single mindscape, eight were represented here, with three of them coming from the single Macra. Mental energy whipped out from the three headed being. Two of the beams were deflected by John and the Doctor, the third split around Jack. The two Time Lords looked at him with raised eyebrows, a bit impressed.

_'Surprise,'_ Rose said with a smirk and a lilt in her voice. _'You're not the only telepath here.'_

_'Impossible,'_ came the triple voice of the Macra.

Jack laughed at that. _'That word really doesn't have a hold on us.'_

_'Stop this now,'_ the Doctor ordered. _'If you cease and desist, we will allow you to return to Macara.'_

The three heads swivelled to stare at him. _'How do you know that name?'_

John shrugged. _'You're a Tripax Macra. Where else would you be from?'_

_'Did you actually think we didn't know what you are?'_ Jenny clucked. _'Your arrogance defies description.'_

Rose chanced a glance at her daughter, smiling, then she noticed something. Jenny's mental scape was blurred at the edges with Jack's. Eyes widening, she looked to the edge of her and the Doctor's, seeing the same kind of blur. Coming to herself, she locked that bit away in her head and took her husband's hand. She wasn't surprised when Jenny followed her example and did the same with Jack.

The Tripax roared and hurled more mental energy out. John and the Doctor held their hands up, blocking the waves, while Jack did the same... only with the blade of his hand out. The wash went around him, and Jenny channelled the energy that was deflected back around and towards the Tripax.

The wave impacted, causing it to scramble with its back legs to stay upright. The Doctor noticed finally that she was female and shared that with Rose and John. _'Look at you. All hopped up on endorphins and oestrogen. Do you even take the time to consume methyl propane any more? I can already tell you're weak and in withdrawal, so this battle's rather pointless. While I can stand up to you by myself, I have four others with me and you're compromised. Your triple threat has been completely outnumbered. I say again, stop this now. You're cut off and haven't the faintest chance. And, from what I'm gleaming from your minds, you're the last in your conglomeration aren't you? What happened to the others? No, don't tell me. They died from going cold turkey, didn't they? They died when their human drug source_ expired _, didn't they?_ _ **Didn't they**_ _!'_ He thundered.

_'Yes,'_ the Tripax conceded. _'We were sent here to retrieve more, but it was too late. They died three by three while We were in transit. We will as well, now that you have deprived Us!'_ she lashed out again, ineffectively.

_'There is still a way out,'_ John said quietly. _'There are places that can help you with the symptoms. You can kick your habit and live a healthy life.'_

The Tripax roared. _'We do not want a way out! We need our hit!'_

_'Enough of this!'_ Jenny barked, but her father waved her down.

Glaring, John tried again. _'This is your last warning. Let go of this and we can get you the help you need.'_

_'No!'_ the Tripax screamed, hurling wave after wave of mental energy.

_'On your heads be it then,'_ the Doctor said quietly. In the real world, he gripped the Firestone in his right hand. Purple light started to glow from his fist, and he took Jack's hand with his left. In the multiple mindscape, he reached to his right and gripped Jack's shoulder.

Jack's eyes had been rather dark, but when the Doctor gripped his shoulder they began to glow a deep purple from the Firestone. The frequency recorded came across just as he realized that he'd dropped the Psidant earlier. Before he could become anxious, he felt Jenny bolstering his confidence. He was the only one who heard her say, _'You can do this, Jack.'_

Since his right 'hand' was in Jenny's, he brought his left up. When he did, Jenny, Rose, and John distracted the Tripax one head each, by sending bolts of their own. Pointing his index and middle fingers like a gun, a deep purple beam of energy leapt out. Two quick jerks of his hand separated the Tripax in three, splitting the three consciousnesses. As each voice screamed alone, Jenny, Rose, and John dove into their now single minds.

Inside now, the three Time Lords wove past the completely pain distracted barriers and into the cores. Once there, they cocooned the telepathic centres, then removed them completely.

* * *

In the real world, the 'conversation' was followed rather easily. While everyone spoke aloud during the confrontation, the Tripax Macra was heard plainly through the speakers. When Jack trisected the alien, the triple voice split into individuals. Two of them cried for mercy while the third simply howled.

The screaming stopped suddenly, and there was a sound of something hitting the floor. The Doctor opened his eyes and quickly stepped forward. Kneeling down in front of the cell, he reached out with his mind. Finding nothing at all, he lowered his head. "Damn." He turned just as Rose came up behind him and noticed the Psidant on the floor.

John opened his eyes just then and noticed his brother staring at something. Stepping forward, he looked on the other side of Jack just as he and Jenny opened their eyes. He arched his brow on seeing it, and saw Jenny reaching around to hug Jack from behind out of the corner of his eye. "There something you want to tell us, Jack?"

Jack wiped his face with his hands, then stared at John in confusion. "Huh?"

"Did you do all that without using the Psidant?" the Doctor asked.

Glancing down, Jack's eyebrows went up. "Oops. Guess I dropped it," he said with a bit of mirth. Honestly, he was grateful that Jenny was helping him stand. Doing that to the Tripax needed to be done, but that was worse than simply shooting it. "Is she unconscious or dead?" he asked, gesturing towards the cell.

"Dead," the Doctor said, "and don't change the subject. How did you do that?"

Jack inhaled deeply, looking toward the ceiling first, then stared at the floor. "Damn."

"You are, aren't you?" John asked.

Jack nodded. _'Why else do you think the TARDIS likes me so much?'_ he thought to them with a grin.

"Honestly? I thought she was taking pity on you," the Doctor said. That got a 'Hey!' out of Jack and a soft pop on the head from Rose who said 'Rude again'.

"Something's different," John said, staring at him.

"Is it dead Doctor?" the Brigadier said, walking up to them and derailing the conversation completely.

Standing, the Doctor nodded. "Wasn't our intention, but I believe this was more humane than the weeks of withdrawal."

Martha's voice could be heard over Jack's comm, who winced and grabbed it from his ear. "Doc, Martha needs you. The girl is seizing." Hearing that, the Doctor ran through the room and into the TARDIS, with Rose right behind him.

The Brigadier looked at John. "Is it over?"

John blew out a breath, causing a warbling of his lips. "For here, yes. Still need to see if she was telling the truth though."

"What do you mean?" the Brigadier asked.

John patted his shoulder. "We need to see if this is an isolated incident, or if there are more of them out there. She said her compatriots all died, but we need to be sure."

"Yes, we heard that," the Brigadier said, nodding. "Are we secure though?"

"Yeah, we are," Jack said, "for now anyway." Glancing down, he realized that Jenny was still holding on to him. Before he could ask, she let go and steadied him by the arm.

_'You okay?'_ she asked him.

_'No. That really sucked,'_ he replied.

_'I know. I'm sorry you had to feel all that.'_

_'Would've happened anyway,'_ he said. _'Thanks for caring.'_

_'I'll always care,'_ she said.

Looking at her, Jack realized she just told him the absolute truth and it staggered him. She just smiled up at him and hugged him from the side.

John, noting the quiet, looked away from the Brigadier and saw something he'd only ever seen once. Squinting, he opened his senses. Angry at first, he looked at Jenny to see her gaze at Jack like Rose did with his brother. What floored him was seeing the same look on Jack's face. In the space of five seconds, something occurred to him that should have had him spouting the word 'impossible' about. Instead, he started snickering.

Holding that in a bit, he patted Alistair on the shoulder. "C'mon, lets check on the girl. Tell your men not to go anywhere near the cell. Right?"

"Quite," the Brig nodded.

* * *

 

## *Chapter 24*: The Girl

* * *

Once Mickey switched the cameras on, he as well as the girls and the Brigadier all started with a massive flinch as a roar of noise flooded the place. Even Dekker seemed to pale a little when it looked like that side of the room caught fire.

A tinny voice saying 'Oh my word,' drew Gwen's attention to the monitors. Gaping a bit, she nudged Martha and pointed to two video windows on the screen with her mouth open. They both simply stared at the images of the Cabinet Room in Ten Downing Street and a rather elaborately decorated room in what only could've been Buckingham Palace. From the angles from which they could be seen, the feeds had to be coming from security cameras.

Prince William could be seen sitting next to Prince Harry in the Cabinet Room with matching frowns of concern. They were flanked by Royal Guards in the back. Sitting alongside them, were a General of the Royal Army, an Admiral of the Royal Navy, as well as General Bambera and Colonel Mace from Unit.

As for Buckingham Palace, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second was sitting next to her consort, His Royal Highness Prince Philip on a Victorian style couch. Unlike in public however, they had their hands clasped, with his other covering them. Seated on their right were His Royal Highness Prince Charles and Her Royal Highness Duchess Camilla. Furthering their somewhat private moment, Prince Charles was holding The Queen's other hand while Camilla held on to his other arm with both hands. All showed varying degrees of worry. Other than the Royals, the room was empty of people.

Martha bent down a bit to look around Gwen to Mickey, and found him to have a rather smug expression on his face. When he caught her staring, she hissed, "You back-hacked the Royals?" He grinned and blew on his nails, then rubbed them on his chest. Gwen took the opportunity to take him down a peg by knuckle punching his shoulder.

Dekker noticed the commotion and raised his eyebrows upon seeing the Royals. Leaning down, he whispered, "Your bollocks must be made of granite, young man."

Mickey glanced at him while rubbing his bruised arm. From the stories Jack and the Doctor gave the previous evening, that was tantamount to an actual compliment. When it was punctuated by a congratulatory hand pat on his back, Mickey's eyebrows did their best to hit his hairline.

For his part, the Brigadier glanced at the screens and simply rolled his eyes. Sighing, he whispered to them. "Please do us a favour and do _not_ record that. Do you understand me Mr. Smith?" His stern look at Mickey was met with an ashen expression, and the young computer expert immediately flicked off the secondary recording equipment.

Of the five in the corner, only the Brigadier remained steadfast while the others flinched at the Macra's banging and screeching. That was reversed when the Doctor shouted his claim of authority. Prince Charles could be heard over the speaker, 'Very glad he's on our side,' to which the Brigadier could only agree.

* * *

Jenny's shout of there being a patient on the way caused Mickey and Martha to bolt from their chairs. Running into the TARDIS, they were a bit shocked to find themselves in the infirmary instead of the console room. With a perfunctory check of the equipment, Martha tapped her comm after they donned surgical gloves. "Ready Jack." A golden glow preceded the arrival, and both of them gasped with a matching "Oh my God."

Lying on her side on the bio bed was a completely bald and nude not-so-young girl. The only way Martha knew she was female was from her genitalia. Several metallic tubing were coming from her arms and legs, and a rather elaborate one was attached to the base of her neck. A metal breathing mask was surgically grafted to her face under her wide open and unseeing eyes. Other tubing was grafted in place for waste products.

Fighting the urge to vomit, Mickey looked at his wife-to-be. "What do you need me to do?"

Martha closed her eyes and steeled herself with a large inhale of breath. The sour tang of air made her wish she hadn't done that though. She absently pointed to a shelf. "Surgical masks." While he went to retrieve them, she pulled the overhead scanner arm to the foot of the bed and set it in motion. As it went through it's scan, she pulled a smock on, then donned and tied the mask that Mickey gave her.

Seeing Martha in a smock, Mickey nabbed one from the counter and followed suit. Since her attention was completely on the scanner's monitor, he took a flowery coloured surgical cap and pulled her tight braided hair out of the way to put it on her. After he tied it, he did one up for himself. His was a simple teal that matched their smocks.

"Okay, good," Martha muttered as the results came up on the screen. "Nothing deeply implanted, except close to her ovaries, just attached." She swore when the scanner got to the girl/woman's head though. "Fuck."

On the other side of the bed now, Mickey was alarmed. Martha hated that word. "What is it?"

"The mask will be easy," she said while pointing at the monitor. "But that big tube thing is running up into the back of her skull. There's filaments going up and deep into her brain. That's going to take a bit more."

The girl started to moan on the bed, and caught them both off guard. "She's conscious!" Martha shouted. Leaning, she pulled her mask down and looked into her nearly lidless eyes. "You're safe sweetheart. We've got you."

Looking to the ceiling, Martha spoke to the ship. "TARDIS, I don't normally like it when you do this, but time is of the essence. Please get in my head and help Mickey get the things I need." She immediately closed her eyes involuntarily, and felt a gentle feminine presence in her mind. Her eyes crinkled when she felt the ship just as worried as she was. "It'll be okay." With the TARDIS in her mind, she looked at Mickey. "Just follow the lights, sweetheart."

Mickey had only known the ship to lead him around by the overhead lights, so he was a little confused as to what she meant at first. However, the TARDIS did something completely unexpected. His head went back when he felt her enter his mind, then was floored when he heard the medical chatter in Martha's mind. Similar to when the Doctor had him listen in on the conversation with Clem, it was like he could hear her talk.

First order of business was a drip bag. Not knowing where they were kept himself, he was surprised when he went directly to the cupboard and fetched everything that was needed for it. In his head he heard the TARDIS whisper, _Relax Michael. I'm overseeing the link between you. Martha and I know where things are in here, so for now you know it as well. This is faster than lighting things up for you. And don't worry. Unless it's needed, this link is one way for now so we don't distract her._

Even though it was boggling to him, Mickey slipped into this new role rather easily. While Martha set up the drip bag, he retrieved a sedative and filled the syringe on his own and marvelled at knowing how much to fill it with. Pushing it into the drips secondary access, he pressed a button that lit around the area in a sterile field.

Once the girl was unconscious, things went rather quickly. Martha had to help her close her eyes though, and cringed when she saw that her eyelids were thin and nearly transparent. An absent 'thanks' came out of her when Mickey placed a small sleeping blindfold over her eyes.

Completely in her element now, Martha went about removing things with the easiest first. Removing the smaller tubes involved having to cut around them first. She didn't question it when Mickey used the dermal mender on the open wounds once the tubes were removed.

After the peripheral attachments were done away with, she set about removing the mask. From the scan, the mask had oxygen tubes going up the girl's nose and down her throat. Cutting the mask away around the edges of it was rather easy, but she swore again when the flesh ripped as she pulled it off - since she wasn't able to cut it from the inside. It had been just as overgrown as the outside of it. Mickey's help was preternatural to her, as he was there instantly with a smaller dermal mender as soon as it was removed. Taking a second pen like mender from him, she went about it on the other side of her face. Only after that was done did they pull the mask away completely, pulling the tubes out of her nose and throat as they did so. After it was gone, Mickey replaced it with a clear one.

Taking a quick breath, she wanted to get the attachments to her ovaries gone before even attempting anything with her head. However, as soon as she pressed against her abdomen, the girl started to shake and thrash. Mickey instantly tried to hold her still, and Martha hit her comm, screaming. "Jack! Get the Doctor in here! She's Seizing!"

She looked up from holding the girls shoulders when a larger monitor appeared over the head of the bed, with the scans from earlier on it in the swirly and circled 'alphabet' of the Doctor's native language. While she was holding on, Mickey abruptly left and came back to inject an anti-seizure into the drips secondary intake. It hit her bloodstream and the girl slowed, the seizure broken. Once that was done, he turned and grabbed another smock just as the Doctor ran in.

Rose came in as Mickey was helping the Doctor into the medical gear. While the Doctor read the monitor, Mickey turned and activated the overhead scanner again. Taking everything in, Rose was impressed with how Mickey was actually 'hooked into' Martha. Donning a smock and gloves herself, she helped her husband with gloves while Mickey and Martha moved the bed away from the wall a bit.

The Doctor had the TARDIS move the monitor to hang over the foot of the bed, and he got behind the head of it. Tapping into the link that the TARDIS set up between Martha and Mickey, he had them work on her abdomen while Rose assisted him with the cranial brain surgery.

* * *

Jack and Jenny followed John down to the infirmary and ran into Rhys on the way. "How's it goin'?" he asked them.

"It's over for now," John said, and Rhys looked relieved. "However, there's a little girl fighting for her life in the infirmary now. The Doctor, Rose, Martha, and Mickey are all working to save her."

"What little girl?" Rhys asked, completely confused.

Jenny spoke up. "You two go on. I'll fill him in and join you later."

* * *

Entering the infirmary, Jack couldn't remember there ever being this much activity in there before, including the time with the bus refugees. When John went to help, he tapped his comm. "Gwen," he said softly.

'Yeah, Jack?'

"Stay out there and coordinate whatever needs to be done," he told her. "The little girl is in surgery now, and from the looks of it... it's going to be a while."

'How bad is she?' Gwen asked.

Jack glanced at the monitor at the foot of the bed. "Looks like there's quite a bit of stuff already removed, but there's a lot more involved with her brain and ovaries." A stab of self hate ran through him when he realized that this was all his fault.

_'Stop that! You didn't know!'_ he heard Jenny shout in his head.

Sighing, he continued his conversation with Gwen. "From what I'm reading on the monitor, there's quite a bit of hardware that's been implanted to harvest hormones from her. The Doctor and Martha are working to remove them now."

'Oh my God,' Gwen muttered.

"Yeah," Jack sighed. "If anyone asks where we are, tell them about the girl. In fact, tell the Brigadier anyway."

'I'm on it,' Gwen said, switching off.

* * *

Nearly four hours later, Gwen and the Brigadier had been joined by Princes William and Harry as well as a small plethora of high officials. Some were sitting and nursing tea or coffee, while others were up and about. Quiet conversations about clean up and what not were going on with occasional worried glances at the TARDIS.

The door opened and the Doctor and Martha came out, still wearing their medical scrubs over their clothes. Gwen immediately gave them coffee. Martha drank hers greedily, while the Doctor leaned against the TARDIS and sipped.

Everyone was on pins and needles, waiting for one of them to speak when the Doctor looked up with a small and tired smile. "She's not out of the woods, and will need professional care for a long time, but... she's going to be okay," he said quietly.

"Ye-hes!" Gwen stuttered through some tears while everyone else started either clapping or shouting.

Prince William walked over to the Doctor and shook his hand with a rather large and toothy smile on his face. "Thank you Doctor."

The Doctor smiled back. "Not necessary, but you're most welcome. I want to keep her for at least a day for observation before turning her over to a hospital."

"She'll have the best, I can assure you of that," Prince Harry said, shaking the Doctor's hand once his brother was done.

* * *

 

## *Chapter 25*: Epilogue

* * *

"Uncle John? What're you doing?" Jenny had come into the infirmary to relieve her Uncle in watching their little patient at ten pm sharp. He'd volunteered to stay with her while everyone else tended other things, and she had found him behind the head of the bed with his hands at her temples. That part wasn't surprising. What was, was the sight of tears streaming down his otherwise blank face. His eyes were closed, and it appeared that he was deep in the poor dear's mind.

John didn't even look up, and his voice was quiet and breaking. "She is fifty five years old, and spent forty four years of her life strapped to that Tripax as nothing more than a drug siphon. Nearly all of her memories are of pain and madness."

Frowning at that horrifying thought, Jenny walked over to put a hand on John's shoulder. Looking down at the stunted growth of the woman, she placed her other hand on the top of her chest, just under her neck.

"Can I do it?" John whispered. "Should I do it?"

"Do what?" Jenny asked.

John swallowed. "Get rid of that horrible waking nightmare of hers. You were in detention for seven months. This poor dear as been restrained nearly all of her life, being crooned to by an insane person."

She didn't even have to think about it. "Do it. No one deserves that much pain."

An involuntary whimper escaped John's lips, just before he dove inside her memories.

* * *

The Doctor and Rose had their arms crossed and were resting against one of the railings, staring at Jack - who was looking more than a little uncomfortable. They'd been doing it for the better part of fifteen minutes before Rose broke the silence. "You were our friend for a long time, and you never said? Didn't you trust us?"

Jack winced at the hurt tone of Rose's voice. "I wasn't supposed to. And no, I don't know why. She never said."

"Who never said?" the Doctor blurted rather testily.

_I never said, Beloved._

Wide eyed, both the Doctor and Rose shot their heads up to stare at the ceiling. While the Doctor's expression was of shock, Rose's mouth was hanging open. "You did _WHAT_?" she shrieked.

_Technically, it is still too soon,_ the TARDIS said. _However, some leeway can be allowed._

"Leeway," Rose echoed, glowering.

The Doctor took her hand and squeezed it, giving her a mental hug. "Start with what you can tell us, Jack."

"Well, I'm telepathic," Jack deadpanned, earning an over-the-glasses stare from the Doctor. "Yeah, okay." Turning, Jack started to pace around the console, thinking. Looking up, he had a small and annoyingly private conversation with the ship. This made Rose and the Doctor look at each other, exchanging ideas on withholding maintenance for a while.

An aggravated sigh came out of Jack. "I don't know. All right? All I know is that I was born this way. Me, a full blooded human from the fifty first century! The rest of my family wasn't, and I was considered a _freak_ for years before I finally got some training off planet on how to block other people out!" He sat in the jump seat and crossed his arms. "I _really_ wanted to tell you, but she said not to," he said quietly. "I'm sorry."

Rose was going to walk over and give him a hug, but Jenny came in at a full run with a look of panic on her face. "What's wrong?" she half shouted. "Dad? What're you doing to him?"

Eyes wide, Rose couldn't help thinking about what she saw of their mental fields blending, and the Doctor heard it quite plainly. Glaring, his senses went out fully and he could see the tightly woven time line between them.

No one saw him move. The Doctor was standing next to Rose one second, the next there was a bang and he was over Jack's prone form on the grating of the floor – with his forearm pressing into Jack's larynx. "Rule One!" he bellowed.

"Dad, stop!" Jenny shrieked as moved to pull him off. However, she was held back by her mother, whom she didn't register moving either. She turned to her, and they simply glared at each other while the men had at it.

Grunting, Jack gaped up in actual fear into the Doctor's pitch black eyes, crackling with red. "Don't... wander off," he managed to get out.

"No, you stupid ape," the Doctor growled in a rather northern accent. " _Your_ rule one. Say it!" he shouted.

Face wincing from the bruising to his voice box, Jack ended up whispering. "Don't touch the blond." Rose's eyes went wide when she heard that. Jenny's too, for that matter.

"Rule Two!" the Doctor thundered.

"Do exactly what you say!" Jack shouted back.

Nose to nose with Jack now, the Doctor glowered. "Where, in either of those two rules, was permission granted?"

"What do you want me to say?" Jack asked, looking as if he were about to soil himself.

"It was an accident!" Jenny blurted.

Eyes wide, the Doctor seemed to vibrate. "An accident? What happened? You trip and defile my daughter?"

"It wasn't like that!" Jack shouted.

"He was trying to protect me from the Macra!" Jenny shrieked.

That brought the Doctor up short, and the blackness of his eyes receded to his iris. "Do _what_?" he said in an octave that shouldn't have been able to come out of his mouth, it was so high.

"It was right before they showed up!" Jenny said, still struggling against Rose's hold on her. "He tried to shield me, and I latched onto his mind. It just happened!"

Glancing back to his daughter, the Doctor thought about what she said, then looked back down at Jack. He moved his arm off the man's throat and held his hand over his temple. "Let me see." Jack just nodded his head rapidly, and the Doctor touched his temple, diving into his mind.

While her father was in Jack's mind, Jenny finally broke Rose's grip on her. "What the hell is his problem?" she hissed at her. "And yours?" she added.

Sighing, Rose explained. "Jack's from the fifty first century..."

"I know that," Jenny huffed.

Lips pressed together, Rose tried again. "The morality of that period isn't all that defined as it is here. People switch from relationship to relationship, and don't really care about long term commitments."

Jenny's hands went out in frustration. "Hello! Fifty Third here! I haven't been a virgin for some twenty years now."

Head rearing back from that statement, Rose baulked. "You're eight though! I saw it!"

Jenny's eyes went up to the ceiling, and sounded like John. "Oh, my _flippin'_ God." Taking a hold of Rose's shoulders, she locked eyes with her mother, "On _Gallifrey_ , I'm eight. On Earth, I'm twenty four! You on the other hand, will be eleven in just a bit." All Rose could do was work her mouth open and shut as that morsel of information stunned all the sound out of her.

The Doctor stood up, then helped Jack up as well. "It's all right. I'm sorry, Jack. This is easily fixed..."

He didn't get the thought out fast enough, because he was instantly slapped by Jenny, who somehow got right in front of him. "Don't you dare! Don't you _dare_ try to break this!"

"Doctor," Jack said quietly, "please trust me when I say that I've been looking for someone just like her for longer than I thought possible. I absolutely _will not_ betray her."

Both the Doctor and Rose turned shocked looks at Jack, whom just said that declaration in perfect Gallifreyan. All the Doctor could get out was a rather garbled and somewhat stuttered, "How?"

John's chuckling drew everyone's attention to the door. He was standing there with his arms crossed, and leaning on the door frame with his left foot crossed over and resting on the floor by the toe of his trainer. "You done being an arse yet, brother?" He watched as the Doctor was doing mental logic loops, then motioned him over with a finger. He didn't let on that Jenny went over and hugged Jack though, when he left his side.

When the Doctor was in front of him, John put a lock over their minds. _'I want you to_ really _think about this, Theta. Ask yourself two questions: What can't possibly happen, and what does that mean for our dear Captain?'_

The Doctor's mouth hung open in wide eyed shock. _'We have to find it!'_

_'There it is, that brilliance.'_ John smiled at him, right before he hugged the Doctor. _'We will find it, our old girl said as much. Just not for a while yet. And to her, a while could be tomorrow or ten years from now, so there's no telling. Leave them alone, and be happy that someone of his standing came into Jenny's life. Our old girl did say that this was always coming, in case you didn't know.'_

_'I don't have to like it!'_ the Doctor groused.

_'What father does?'_ John countered with a mental chuckle.

The Doctor glared at him. " _How_ are you okay with this?" he said aloud. "You're as much her father as I am!" That of course, gathered everyone's attention.

John just smiled at him. "Because. Simple as that."

"Husband," Rose spoke up, getting his attention. "I think I miscalculated, or something."

Turning around, he looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

She waved a hand over at Jenny, who was clinging to Jack tightly. "Jenny's eight, all right. Just not here. Here she's twenty four. And how weird is it for you to be married to someone who's eleven on your home planet? Plus, all that talk of nine hundred and five. It's really closer to three thousand isn't it?"

Jenny took that moment to speak up. "He lied about his age, mum. He's fourteen hundred and fifty six on Gallifrey. Do the Math."

Rose's eyes went wide, feeling the complete embarrassment from her husband. That validated what Jenny said, and her head went back as huge cackling laughter rang out of her. Jenny got the giggles on hearing that, and Jack couldn't help laughing either, despite what happened just a few minutes ago.

"Stop it," the Doctor protested, looking appalled.

John stepped up and put an arm around his shoulders. "Told you that was going to catch you up," he chided with a wide, cheeky grin on his face.

Rose had to sit on the jump seat from laughing so hard. "Four thousand, three hundred, and sixty _eight_?" she managed to get out. "You're older than Methuselah!"

John couldn't help but join in on the laughter after hearing that, and the Doctor's elbow to his ribs didn't stop it either.

* * *

The next morning, Martha and the Doctor brought their patient out of the TARDIS on a trolley. A few quick words to the medical personnel from UNIT, and she was wheeled off. Prince Harry was in attendance, and the Doctor walked over to him. "A small favour if you please, your majesty."

"After everything you've done for us, Doctor? Name it."

"Christine Annabel Wells has no family, but there is a friend of hers from childhood," the Doctor said. "He goes by Timothy White, and is under care at Digby York Hospital, in the East Grinstead mental ward. He's not technically unbalanced by any means. He was the twelfth child that was to be taken in 1965, but ran before he could be taken. In every respect, he's still mentally as much of a child as Christine is."

Prince Harry nodded. "I can see to it that they can visit. How much do you think she will remember?"

"None of it," the Doctor said flatly, surprising him. "My brother took it upon himself to remove those memories from her. And, I can't fault him for it. Forty four years of nothing but pain and being chained up to a mad alien. Honestly, she's better off."

The Prince relaxed on hearing that. "Good," he said simply. "She will have the best care."

"Thank you," the Doctor said, shaking his hand.

* * *

By noon, the Time Lords had the chamber vented of the poisonous atmosphere, with the carcass of the Tripax Macra hauled away for incineration. The Doctor was very specific about that and got Alistair to swear to it. He got that promise on the condition that they wait before taking the others back to Cardiff, and disappearing again. He reluctantly agreed and went back into the TARDIS. At one thirty in the afternoon, Alistair called him on his mobile to ask him and the others out.

After everyone was in the room, the Brigadier smiled at the Doctor. "Now, old boy. Do me the honour of not embarrassing me, would you please?"

Frowning in concern, the Doctor simply nodded. Then he and the others all registered differing levels of surprise when Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second came into the room. She was followed by her Consort, her son and his wife, and her grandsons, who were both smirking in the back.

Rose, Gwen, and Martha immediately curtsied. Jenny only doing so after being pulled into one by her mother. The men all gave half bows.

"Doctor," the Queen said with a smile. "Unlike our ancestor, We are not going to banish you. Instead, We are to reverse the entire charter of Torchwood to include you as the most respected defender. However, We will be honouring you and your bride again, as well as knighting the others that defended us so remarkably well. Seeing as how knighting you would be quite redundant, you are to be given a proper title, instead."

"Mum, that is hardly necessary," the Doctor protested rather quietly.

"Nonsense," she chided. "We heard you," she paused and turned to John, "or rather, We heard _you_ say that you have adopted Earth as your home planet." The twins nodded at that. "What sort of people would we be if we didn't accept you with everything you have ever done for us?"

Rose had her hands over her mouth and nose, with tears going down her face. Just feeling her husband's outright awe from the Queen's words, made her want to hug him tightly. She restrained herself though, just barely.

"In that vein," the Queen continued, "We hereby grant you citizenship of Great Britain, and award you hereditary titles of Baron and Baroness Tyler," she turned to John, "And to you, Baron Storm. This is with all rights and privileges."

"I don't know what to say," the twins echoed in stereo.

"I'm not finished," the Queen gently said with a smile.

The Doctor bowed his head. "You're Majesty, please. We are completely overwhelmed by your generosity, but we quite literally live in that blue box behind us. There is no need for any land grants."

She stepped forward and looked up at him. "Be that as it may, Doctor, there is a rather quaint mansion in the Powell Estate that has no occupants."

" _The_ Walsh Mansion?" Rose blurted, then blushed profusely when the Queen smiled at her, nodding. Grabbing her husband's hand, Rose gave him a rather hopeful look which was punctuated by a slight 'mmph' of a noise.

"It will be maintained as it has been," the Queen said. "And, if you have need of it, it will be yours as a place of refuge."

The Doctor groaned at the look Rose was giving him, then started to chuckle. "I can't refuse you anything, dear." She smiled on hearing that, then he turned to the Queen and nodded. "We accept."

* * *

Jack ended up being Knighted as well, both for over a century of dedicated service to the country, and for his part in defending the planet from the Macra. Jenny was awarded her mother's previous title of Dame Tyler of the Powell Estate. All in all, it was a rather good day.

* * *

In a secluded hospital room on a UNIT base, an elderly gentleman was escorted to the small patient by his favourite nurse. The large man helped him into a chair next to the bed, then stepped back.

Clem reached over and took a small hand in his, briefly sniffing it. "Chrissie?" he said with wide eyes. "Oh, my dear," he said with a warbling of his voice. Holding her hand to his cheek, he cried tears of joy.

A tiny whisper came from her lips. "Clement?"


End file.
